The Truth Revealed
by The Mouse of Anon
Summary: Sequel to The Truth About Manic. Manic's been hiding certain things from his siblings, only now the lies he's told are coming to light. What will happen when Sonic and Sonia find out that he's Kleptomaniac? Rated M to be safe. C&C please! Finished! Really
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Manic, I don't own Sonic, I don't own Sonia, and nor do I own Sega or anything remotely connected. Nor do I own the (English!) lyrics for Aslan's Dream, that honor belongs to Gackt. All I own is my warped little ideas about the characters and the fics I write. Therefore if you don't like to see slightly creepy, emotional, dark-sided Manic-_then don't read it_. Otherwise, enjoy.

Author's Note: To manic the hedeghog, Retrospective, Shelby the Hedgehog, Sakura Courage Solo, Pyro Falkon, Mani Clover, writergurlLW, and incomplete13, I say this- Thank you for your reviews and encouragement. I've been working feverishly on this (not-so-little) fic for a while now, and I hope you'll like the result. In any case, read, enjoy, C&C is always appreciated. To everyone else- I've said it once, I'll say it again: if you don't like Manic like this, then don't read it.

------

Manic let out a muffled curse as he applied the disinfectant to the gash on his elbow. He'd been careless; he _knew_ better than to be that slow when up against one of his enemies, but he'd gotten cocky and hadn't counted on the bastard making a last-ditch attempt on his life. As such when the hyena had lunged with the dagger the green hedgehog had only had enough time to bring his arm up to block the blow to his head. The fool was dead of course, the thief-prince couldn't allow him to get away, but he knew that in the morning his wound would raise questions.

Right at that instant it was two in the morning and he was lucky he hadn't woken either of his siblings up on his way in. As it was he'd have to scrub his blood off the floor after he was done with his arm. At the thought Manic let out another growled curse and glared at himself in the mirror. "Stupid Hedgehog, _really_ stupid," he grumbled as his yellow eyes flared for a moment in annoyance. In the harsh glare of the bathroom light his eyes almost looked like they were glowing. That wasn't the only thing thrown into view; a couple of scrapes and scars also showed through the fur.

Giving a frustrated sigh he turned his attention back to his left elbow and winced. Somehow he doubted the 'falling off the hoverboard' excuse would work this time. _'Maybe if I were a few years younger and _dead_ it'd work.'_ The scowl that flickered across his face was well timed as the sting from the disinfectant kicked in again. Frankly the green-furred prince was lucky that his wound wasn't more severe. Had it been a little to the left or right the dagger could have severed a tendon or, even worse, an artery. The idea of bleeding-out didn't appeal to him.

Setting the disinfectant aside, Manic began mopping up the mess with a washrag and looked more carefully at the gash. _'I _might_ be able to get away without stitches. Meh, might as well go clean up the bloody trail.' _Stepping out of the bathroom of the van he silently did his work; even more diligently in front of his sister's door to make sure that the blood didn't leave a mark. If a stain were left she'd scream about that more than him being stupid enough to rip his arm open. The green-furred triplet was glad they didn't have a carpet in the "hall". Within moments of completing his task, the van was locked up, all lights were off, and Manic was asleep the instant his head hit the pillow.

---

"MAAAAANIIIIC!" Sonia screamed. The green hedgehog only twitched his pierced ear in the direction of his door; otherwise he didn't bother responding. "Manic, I _know_ you're in there! Answer this door _right now_!" Sonic wiggled a finger in one of his own ears to try to stop the ringing brought on by Sonia's shrill pitch.

"Mmf… G'way dude… 's too early," Manic mumbled just barely loud enough to be heard. Sonia didn't go away; quite the opposite in fact. She started pounding on the door with a vengeance.

"MANIC SARASHI HEDGEHOG! Get up and get your tail out here or I'm going in there and doing it _for you_!"

Ears flat against his head Manic got up, stalked over to his door, and wrenched it open. Carefully keeping his false accent in place he growled, "What did I do _now_?" Sonia imperiously held up the washcloth with his blood on it- and that was when Manic realized that it was one of _hers_. They each had their own personal rules that they'd laid out for the other two quite clearly; in order to avoid needless fights they followed those rules. One of Sonia's rules was that they couldn't use her washcloths without asking. _'Oh crap... might as well go for broke on this one.' _"…Oh, sis I'm sorry. Kinda took a spill last night." He held up his left arm to prove his point. "I was so out of it that I just grabbed." Was it a stupid and highly unlikely excuse? Yes, but then again he was still a little bit tired from his 'foray' the night before.

"Last night?" Sonia muttered as her eyes locked on the scabbed-over wound. "You went out last night?" Manic nodded. "_AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!"_ Sonic winced in the background.

Golden yellow eyes blinked in a false show of early-morning confusion. "I woke up last night and I couldn't get back to sleep. Felt like goin' for a spin and I thought it'd be rude to wake you up." Sonia twitched- '_bad sign.'_

Manic came to realize how bad said sign was when his sister seized his wrist and yanked him toward her. His yelp of pain could be considered nothing less than a perfectly natural reaction under the circumstances. "_Sonia_," he whined while trying to keep the tremble of pain out of his voice, "could you, like, let go? That seriously hurts and I don't think my arm is supposed to be yanked outta socket like that."

Ignoring him briefly she studied the wound, noting the length of it and how deep it had to be. "What happened?" she snapped. Manic shrank back silently; he knew she was concerned for him, but she could be downright frightening sometimes. Ruby red eyes bored into his golden gaze and he tried to unobtrusively rescue his arm from his sister's grip. "What happened Manic? How did this happen?"

"I told you, I took a spill from my hoverboard- it's no big deal."

By now even Sonic was intrigued, and he usually tried to stay out of any arguments his brother and sister had. "You've come home from having a spill before and it didn't look that bad," Sonic stated after he'd gotten his own look at Manic's injury.

Seeing both of them giving him _that_ look Manic pulled back. Gently prying Sonia's hand from his wrist he grumbled, "Okay, okay! I went out last night for a spin, like I said. I got spotted by a 'bot, got shot at and I fell off my board in an alley." Both of his siblings doubted he was telling the whole truth, and there was no way they were going to let it completely slide by any means.

"And?" Sonia's right eyebrow was arched dubiously.

Rubbing his wrist to get back some feeling Manic answered, "I landed on a piece of shrapnel. I managed to ditch the 'bot, but I was kinda light-headed by the time I got back to the van."

"You didn't even _think_ to wake one of us up?!" Oh yeah, Sonia was _definitely_ in 'protective sister' mode.

"I took care of it myself…," he offered weakly.

"You're lucky you aren't dead! You could have bled to death and neither Sonic nor I would have known it until we found your corpse in the morning! Did you even _use_ any antiseptic?"

"I'm _NOT_ that stupid!" Manic snapped. "Besides, _I'm_ the one who grew up on the damn street!"

"You should be in a hospital!"

"Like one would _EVER_ let me in!"

"Don't _say_ that! You're a prince, or have you forgotten?"

"Well I _don't_ look like it and I wouldn't want to!"

"Manic, do you have _any_ idea how deep that is?!"

"Gee, I think I'd know since it's on _my_ arm!" Before Sonia could so much as open her mouth again he slammed the door and stalked back over to his bed.

"Moron!" Sonia screamed before stalking off to be on her own.

All was silent for about ten minutes, and then there was a knock on Manic's door. Sighing in frustration Manic glanced at the door. "What do you want bro?" Sonic slipped into the room, made his way over to his brother's bed and sat down beside him.

"She's just worried about you. You know that, right?"

"I know that, but she didn't have to treat me like I was an idiot. I mean, dude, I _know_ what a bad wound looks like. If I thought I was gonna die without help I would've woke one of you up."

"Good, otherwise _I'd _have to hurt you." There was a beat, and then Sonic grinned impishly, "You used her rag on purpose, didn't you?"

Manic snorted at him. "As if! You think I _want_ her to rip my head off? I'd rather fly into a wall at Mach 10."

Sonic's grin grew wider. "I can arrange that for you."

"Dude, so _not_ going there right now!"

---

After Sonia had cooled off Manic hunted her down; which really wasn't that hard to do considering that his empathy was kicking in. There were times where he absolutely loved being able to pick up on others. On finding her Manic calmly walked over and hugged his sister. "Hey sis."

Sonia jumped for a moment, startled due to the fact that she hadn't heard her yellow-eyed brother approach. Glancing at him as he rested his chin on her shoulder she grumbled, "What do you want Manic?"

The most emotional of the triplets blinked his brilliant yellow eyes at her innocently in a near approximation of a puppy dog look. "I have to want something from you when I hug you? Like, when did that happen?"

His sister's response was a very un-ladylike snort that she'd picked up from Sonic. "Since that is your normal habit and has been for a while now."

Manic winced at the 'rich girl' phrasing of her words. Clearly she was still simmering about their disagreement. The puppy eyes increased ten-fold. "Oh c'mon Sonia, don't talk like that. I know you hate me when you talk like that, and that _totally_ makes it harder to say I'm sorry for bein' a jerk."

She gave him a disdainful look, but Manic knew he was getting through to her. He could feel her amusement in his head. All she needed was just the slightest push. The puppy eyes got to a point that can only be called ridiculous. A slow smile crept onto her face and then she laughed. "Alright, alright! You're forgiven! Just stop looking at me like that you idiot."

Manic beamed and hugged her again. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me." Rolling her eyes Sonia returned the hug.

"Only because you're my brother."

"Yeah right, you couldn't stay mad at me 'cause you _so_ love me. Even if I weren't your bro you'd probably adopt me anyway. I'm just that lovable."

At this point Sonic walked in, and on hearing Manic's comment he snorted. "No, you're just that annoying. You annoy people into loving you, goof."

"Dude, so not cool. Could you like, rub it in my face any more?"

Both Sonic and Sonia smirked simultaneously. "Yes."

"Then don't," Manic grumbled sarcastically, "I don't think my bruised ego could take it."

---

Manic allowed his siblings to satisfy themselves by making certain his injury was alright. It had been bandaged to prevent infection (after being disinfected _again_), and he'd been forbidden to drive the hover-van until it healed. Promptly after that he had been shooed off to his room to rest. This left Sonia and Sonic free to talk to each other.

"He's hiding something," Sonic stated to his sister bluntly while leaning on the wall of their 'kitchen'. Sonia sighed and nodded. Neither of them had wanted Manic to know that they were strongly suspicious of the story he'd given them. It was entirely plausible, but both of them highly doubted that he'd 'fallen off the hoverboard'. Sometimes they wondered about his intelligence, true, but they both knew that _no one_ compared to Manic's skills on a hoverboard. He had fallen off before, but every time he did the worst he came out of it with was a couple of scrapes- even if it was over shrapnel.

"It kind of makes you wonder…" Sonia's tone was calm and smooth, yet concerned at the same time. "We're so used to him, but if you think about it we know next to nothing about his past. We've talked freely about _our_ pasts, but Manic…" Her ruby red eyes looked up to meet Sonic's emerald gaze. "…He says almost nothing. All that we know is that he grew up on the street and Farrel adopted him."

Sonic nodded grimly. "Then he's not only hiding how he actually got that wound, but all of what in the hell is going on."

"Sonic, don't curse," Sonia admonished absentmindedly. "The only way I can think of to get any decent answers is to watch him."

The blue furry prince frowned. Spying on either of his siblings didn't sit well with him, but considering the circumstances he had a bad feeling that there wouldn't be much of a choice. "I don't want him to feel like we don't trust him. You _know_ how sensitive he is to that kind of thing Sonia. I can agree to keeping an eye on him, but spying on him is completely out. I'd rather have him come to us than have to find something out in the wrong way."

Sonia's gaze was firm. "And what if he doesn't come to us?"

"…I don't know." Sonic turned away to look out the window. "It's strange, isn't it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Not knowing about each other for most of our lives and then finally meeting up… We don't really know what the others have been through. Sure, you and I have talked, but let's face it- I have _no_ idea what your life must have been like for you. At the same time it's hard for you to relate to me. Manic is on an entirely different level. You were a rich priss," he ignored the frown directed at him, "I was a poor punk, but I had a decent life; and Manic had to grow up stealing for a living."

"Sonic, what are you getting at?"

Green eyes turned to lock on the princess. "What I'm saying is that neither of us _knows_ what it's like living on the streets. Things that we view as distant horrors, Manic might have come face to face with. That might be one reason why he doesn't want to talk. Or…"

"Or what?"

Sonic smiled at her with a slightly sheepish look. "Or it could just be that he's one of those guys that doesn't give out info about himself unless he's directly asked."

His sister's look was one of annoyance. "So, what? Do you just want to hold off until something else pops up?"

"Pretty much," the blue hedgehog beamed. Sonia's response was to roll her eyes for the second time that day. She couldn't get anywhere with brothers like these.

---

"Invited by the dream that imprisons the long night/ As no one's in the room, I pray to the moon/ Like a flickering light,/ 'If only the ache in my heart would also become small,' I muttered." Manic's voice was clear and pleasant to listen to, though he was singing quietly in his room. Sonia was driving the van and Sonic was either in the 'kitchen' or 'living room' tuning his guitar. Since Manic had nothing else to do, he sang.

The three of them had managed to find another underground gig (no pun intended), and were on their way there. Both his sister and brother wanted to focus on songs without too many drums due to his injury, but Manic wouldn't have any of it. He insisted that 'a small scratch' wasn't going to stop him from 'wailing on the drums' if he wanted to. They may have doubted how smart he was, but both Sonic and Sonia knew when they couldn't win an argument against him. So against their so-called 'better judgment' they were going. Even as quiet as the ride was Manic could hear Sonia going through vocal warm-up exercises as she drove.

"I walk, groping in the dawn/ Bathed in light, your body is scorched in my memory/ Even now, you are here/ 'Etched into my heart, your dim white memory is like ice…'/ Perhaps you were close by but left nothing behind, nothing but shadows/ Those shadows and those little sounds don't form into anything, quietly disappearing." Rather than continuing into the second verse Manic trailed off. Things had been tense for about a week now and he didn't like it. None of them had said anything; although in Manic's case it was admittedly due to keeping his façade in place. The doubt floating around their van made the air seem thick to the thief-prince. The worst of it was knowing that all of that doubt was centered on him.

Had it been possible to barricade his mental walls so he didn't have to 'hear' what Sonia and Sonic were feeling constantly, Manic would have done so in a heartbeat. _'As if I'll ever have _that_ kind of luck!'_ He was just glad that he hadn't had an 'attack of empathy' in a _very_ long while. Shaking the thought off he tuned into Sonic first; good and ready to go, a little nervous as usual, and- something about food? Manic snorted, that was typical Sonic-thought all the way. Shrugging it off, he turned his attention to Sonia; calm and smooth, focused on singing the scales and driving, definitely not going over potholes like Manic would, and worried about Manic.

The green hedgehog frowned at Sonia's flickering emotions and mental images. Had he been able to pick up on actual _words_ her thoughts would most likely have been even more disturbing to him. It was when he caught the quick flash of suspicion and the accompanying image that went with it that his eyes went wide. She was afraid that _he'd_ been raped?! "Where in the hell did _that_ come from?" To say the least he backed out of his sister's mind as fast as he possibly could without letting her feel him there. "Oh man… Something tells me that my life just got ten times harder…"

---

Manic rolled his eyes for what felt like the fiftieth time as he was getting his drums into place. "Dudes, I am telling you I can _totally_ handle it. I could do this in my sleep. It's not like I'm some kind of gimp or anything, so would ya just knock it off?" This comment was directed at his quietly fretting siblings, who kept on trying to help him despite his rebuffs.

Sonic frowned at him briefly, "You're sure?"

"Sure I'm sure."

"Manic, are you sure you aren't going to hurt yourself?" Sonia's concern was beginning to make said green hedgehog want to gag.

"Dude, I'm _fine_. I am like, _SO_ totally on top of this. So just please, let it go." Yellow eyes closed as the thief-prince let out a sigh of relief when his siblings finally gave up. His pause was brief as Sonic and Sonia went back to their respectful places to do their own last-minute adjustments; then he went back to wrestling his bass drum into position. Within moments his drums were set up to perfection and he took his place behind them. The 'concert' was on.

The three of them ranged through several songs, pandering to their crowd. As Sonia had insisted during preparation, they played a little bit of everything. The true shining moment was the song that gave them each a solo. Though he rarely admitted it out loud, it was one of Manic's favorites. Despite how much he _was_ enjoying the music, Manic was also empathically scanning the crowd.

It was a habit of his, and a well-earned one. There were at least a few occasions it had saved the lives of his siblings and himself. What he found was for the most part enjoyment, but the occasional odd flicker of worry. About what or who he wasn't sure, but it carried connotations that whatever it was; was often considered a threat. _'I'll have to keep my ears open when we rest and close up.'_

Finally they came to their break. Manic gratefully slipped off the stage and over to the bar to get some water. Plopping himself in a seat he seized upon the water when it was handed to him and perked up his ears: Time to get some information. Without the musicians playing people were more willing to talk. Sure enough within minutes conversation was in full swing and Manic was soaking it in. The voices at normal volume he paid little attention to; they had nothing to hide. It was the whispers that were almost drowned out that he was listening for.

One word caught his ear, and he heard it enough times to make him wary. Different voices in different areas of the club were muttering "Kleptomaniac" intermittently. _'That explains the "threat" feeling.' _He listened more carefully and learned that there was news that he was in the area, _not_ that somebody had recognized him. A mental sigh of relief was all that Manic allowed himself. It would not do for his secret to be announced to the world- especially within hearing distance of Sonic and Sonia.

Speaking of said hedgehogs, he did a quick scan of the two of them and stopped. Sonic had heard the whispers of "Kleptomaniac" and was telling Sonia. _'NOT good!'_ He could read the curiosity of the both of them, and he _knew_ it was only a matter of time before they started asking people. The empathic thief-prince did the only thing he could; he downed his water and went hunting for his siblings to distract them. Calmly he walked over to where the two of them were huddled, looped his arms suddenly about their shoulders and grinned. "Hiya bro, sis. What'cha up to?"

Sonia glared at him. "I really wish you'd _stop_ sneaking up on us like that! It gets annoying fast and I _don't_ appreciate it." Sonic's sentiments were similar.

Manic's grin just became more pronounced at having fully succeeded in startling his brother and sister. "Dude, that's not an answer, but whatever. Was that a tight set or what?"

Sonic snorted at him before mangling his bangs. "You seriously zoned out into the music, didn't you?"

"What can I say? When the drums are calling…," his grin took on his typical 'I know something you don't know' look. "…Well, you know what I mean."

Their sister rolled her brilliant red eyes again. "Back to the topic at hand, Sonic what were you saying about 'Kleptomaniac'?"

A flicker of irritation flashed through yellow eyes for less than a second. _'Damn. Not distracting enough. If this keeps up I'm going to have to start creating a few lies.'_ "Dude, say what?"

The blue hedgehog frowned slightly. "I'm not sure if you've heard it, but people here have been muttering off and on about some guy called 'Kleptomaniac'. From what I've been overhearing it doesn't sound too good."

"Like what?" Manic jumped in before his sister could, hoping that he could find some way to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"I can't be too sure, but from what I've been hearing it sounds like he might be an assassin or something."

Sonia's look became alarmed. "If that's true then we might have to worry about him coming after us." The thought and emotions coming from her were so askew from what Manic knew as reality that it threw him off. His façade slipped by just the barest fraction as he let out a quick snort of laughter. He knew the moment it happened that it was a mistake, and that it was going to be nearly impossible for him to change the subject.

Both of his siblings turned to look at him with vague expressions of surprise and reproach. Manic's ears went back as he shrank away from them a little. "Look, uh… Sorry dudes… I didn't mean to laugh at you… it's just that, well, y'know, Kleptomaniac's kinda well known of on the street." He instantly had their attention. At least now he could control a little of what they heard.

"You _know_ about Kleptomaniac?" Sonia demanded. The thief-prince nodded. "How much do you know?"

Glancing around Manic waved her off. "Look, can we _not_ talk about this here? It's like, _so_ not the sort of thing you'd want to talk about in front of people." Sonia's look was grim, and for a moment the green hedgehog was worried that she wouldn't drop it.

Sonic solved that potential problem with his next words. "Alright, we'll let it go for now," he looked pointedly at their sister, "but after we're done here and on our way, you get to explain." Sonia stood down and Manic noted with a mental sigh of relief that she was willing to let it wait.

Nodding at the two of them, Manic turned and started heading for the stage. "Alright, deal. Until then let's get through our second set and get outta here." The two of them followed silently; maybe later they could get some decent answers.

---

The rest of the concert had gone off without a hitch, as had packing up and leaving after receiving their pay for the night. They still had a couple of nights left to go at the club, but all three preferred to stay with their van. It didn't take too long after they got in the door and had put everything away for two sets of eyes, red and green, to lock on Manic. _'Looks like there's no way for me to worm my way out of this one.'_ Letting out a sigh he dropped into a seat and met their looks evenly. "Just in case, could you lock the door? It's a seriously _bad_ thing for peeps to overhear stuff about Kleptomaniac. It gets some really bad attention if you know what I mean."

Sonic considered his brother for a moment before nodding briefly and retreating to do as Manic requested. When he returned he dropped into a seat of his own and asked, "So… What do you know?" Sonia remained standing as she eyed Manic warily.

"Kleptomaniac's like a legend on the street. He's a pretty bad dude and nobody- I mean _nobody_ wants him pissed at them. He's got this reputation for killing off peeps that he thinks have crossed the line, with _none_ of them surviving for long when he's got his sights locked on them. From what I've heard it's like he's a demon- when he plans on killing someone they die; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Same goes for peeps tryin' to kill him- they can't."

Both Sonic and Sonia stared at Manic. Finally their sister spoke up, albeit a little hesitantly. "If you know all that, then why aren't you worried?"

Manic's response was a derisive snort. "Sis, he might have that rep, but peeps keep on forgetting one thing: in the _known_ track-record of everyone the dude has killed only bastards and creeps end up dead. Since none of us classify as 'bastards' I don't think we have to worry."

"What do you mean by that?" Sonia's suspicious frown and the images flickering through her mind unsettled her empathic brother.

"I mean that he like, only kills murderers, rapists, sick sons-of-bitches that the world's better off without, those kinds of people." From Manic's perspective it seemed as though Sonia's mind froze with that announcement. Was it… shock?- at the fact that Manic could ever think such a sentiment? That he would ever say anyone deserved to die? There was a bit of shock hovering in the corners of Sonic's mind as well, but nothing to the level of Sonia's. Finally Sonia's mind kick-started and Manic was suddenly hit with the feeling that whatever came out of her mouth next, he wasn't going to like it.

"Manic… Were you ever…" Sonia hesitated nervously, her voice trembling at the thoughts running through her mind. Sonic glanced at her with a frown. What was going through her mind? Sonia's words came out as a whisper, "Were you ever raped?"

Yellow eyes stared at her in dumbfounded surprise. He _had_ been expecting that question to a certain extent, but at the same time he'd thought that Sonia never would have asked. It took a moment for his mind to process the meaning of her words, and he _knew_ that pause looked bad to both of his siblings. "W-what? What? Me? Raped?" Silence greeted his words as they both looked at him in concern.

"Is that why you said what you did about Kleptomaniac killing people?" The fact that _Sonic_ was the one who had spoken set him off. Manic laughed.

"Me? Raped? Not in a million years! I'd like, so totally strangle somebody before they ever got the chance. You don't have to worry about me; I've _never_ been jumped like that. I've known peeps who were, but I haven't."

"So why did you say what you did about Kleptomaniac?" Red eyes were firmly locked onto his own bright yellow ones. Manic knew that if he didn't let some of his emotions interfere in this conversation then both of his siblings were going to be permanently convinced that he'd been defiled. Just wonderful.

Manic went silent and his gaze became downcast. "There was one person I knew, chick by the name of Tahl, who got jumped like that once. I grew up with her, so I knew her my entire life. After what happened to her she…" Troubled yellow eyes looked up to his brother and sister; laying a little of his past on the table was the _only_ way he could think of to correct their misunderstanding, no matter how much it still emotionally hurt. He didn't bother fighting any tears that might choose to surface, though he did repress the urge to start screaming and ranting. His eyes slid shut as he continued, "She had nightmares almost every night for a year. It took that long for the bastards that did that to her to die. They got killed off one by one; I'm pretty sure by Kleptomaniac. I tried to pull her out of it and all that, but… at the end of that year she committed suicide to make the nightmares stop."

Opening his eyes again, Manic could see as well feel how concerned they were. Their worry for him was breaking over his mind like waves on a shore. In some ways it was a bit comforting. In other ways it was overwhelming. "Since I grew up with her Tahl was kinda like my sister… She- she used to yell at me for some of the stupidest things." He laughed again. "…Those nightmares… I'd wake up every night hearing her scream. Every night, a scream that'd make anyone feel like totally curling up and dying. That was bad enough, y'know? When I found her dead…" The thief-prince's voice went silent as his throat tightened at the memory, his face going into his hands. When he spoke again his voice was vehement and firm as steel, "_NO ONE_ should ever have to go through that. _EVER._ I'm _glad_ that Kleptomaniac killed them. I'm _glad_ that they couldn't keep on doing that to other peeps. If it hadn't been him…" His voice broke and he shuddered, his quills bristling slightly.

Sonic and Sonia glanced at each other silently. Neither of them had expected this sort of confession, but it did make a little of his personality make more sense to them. Wordlessly the two of them sat down on either side of their brother and hugged him. Any talk of Kleptomaniac would wait.

---

More than a week passed without any mention of Kleptomaniac, aside from Manic telling Sonic and Sonia _why_ it was a bad idea to be overheard talking about him. "The wrong sort of peep overhears you, an' then they'll think you're in cahoots with him. If they think that, then they'll probably try to kill you 'cause they think it'll mean they're hurting Kleptomaniac from a distance. Not good news any way you look at it." To satisfy their curiosity and his own desire to talk, Manic let the occasional tidbits drop about his old friend Tahl. Some of the stupid or silly things they'd done, some of her weird habits, how she used to constantly criticize him about his earrings…

He still didn't talk too much about his past, but it eased the minds of his siblings to know that he was opening up a little. By the end of the allotted time of their gig almost all thoughts of bringing up the topic of Kleptomaniac had faded. All the same; Manic knew that while it had faded from their conversations, the thought of the mysterious killer still wafted in and out of Sonia and Sonic's minds. Overlaying that were images and speculations as to what Tahl had looked like, what had Manic seen when he found her dead? The thief-prince didn't particularly feel like reciting _that_ memory to either of them.

However, late one night he was forcibly reminded; not of her death, but of something far worse. The nightmare had started off quietly enough- _Manic walking down the street at night on his way for some errand or another, but not really in any hurry. There was a brief moment of pausing in his stride; stopping to re-check his list for the third time. Yes, yes, all the necessities that couldn't wait for morning. A thought… someone, a man? ...should get off his butt and do some work every now and then: A brief flicker of a portly canine of indeterminable breed, certainly not pleasant to look at, but an overall good person nonetheless._

_He let out a frustrated sigh and looked back up to continue walking, took only about five steps forward before the laugh was heard. Someone was saying something… Manic didn't know what, but it came off as threatening. A scoff, Manic didn't think this fool could do anything and should just go on his way. He tried to step around the fool in his path and suddenly his upper arm was seized. Manic aimed a glare at the man and tried to pull his arm free, but the man's grip was stronger than he was. A snapped out demand, most likely for release, responded to with a laugh and getting thrown to the ground._

_Suddenly a realization, a deep foreboding sense of dread- Manic tried to scramble to his feet and run, but the man was too fast. Excruciating pain as the man wailed on him, gave him no room to think or defend himself, the only movement available to offer struggle was trying to push the monster off. Fighting, struggling, all of it useless as the man dragged him off kicking and screaming into a seldom-used alleyway. Thrown to the ground again, the monster's body on top of him- ripping and tearing to get at him. Trying to punch the monster in the face only to get his wrists pinned down. _NO! DON'T!

_Not listening, only laughing as he rips away clothes; sinks claws deeply into Manic's back and tears downward. A scream, a keening wail, feminine and high pitched rents the air as claws dig in and the abuse begins- as the monster violates the woman under him and bites into her neck to try to silence her as he has his way._

Manic bolted upright, his eyes wide, his breathing ragged and panicked; the thief-prince's right hand rested on his chest as he sat there and shuddered while slowly coming awake to the reality around him. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his stomach doing flips, and the clinging nightmare forcing him to still feel fresh and hot blood trailing through his fur. Within moments Manic was out of his bed and had bolted to the bathroom, locking the door the moment it was closed. His stomach heaved less than a second after he'd gotten to the toilet and its contents cascaded forth as the hellish aftermath of the nightmare.

Even after he'd hacked and coughed up what he was certain was most of the food he'd eaten that day, Manic's body was still wracked with dry-heaves almost thirty minutes after. When his stomach subsided the green hedgehog collapsed in a weak heap on the floor, shuddering and coughing occasionally. After a few minutes Manic reached up and flushed the toilet with a shaky hand, and then let it drop as he curled into a ball and shivered. _'Not again, not another one… Please Goddess, not another one. I can't do this… I can not do this right now. Please dear Goddess…'_

His inner mantra continued for a while as the girl's thoughts clung to him. It always happened like this when he picked up on another person's hell. Whether it was happening at just that moment or was just a nightmare repeat he could never tell. Either way it was always just as horrific. Every time these nightmares hit him he was briefly swallowed up by what he felt from the other person's mind, so as a result their terror stayed with him for a while until he regained himself. Manic laid there on the bathroom floor, unheeding of the passage of time, until the first beginning rays of sunlight pierced the fading gloom.

Closing his eyes Manic took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it; forcing himself upright in the process. _'I am Manic. I am Kleptomaniac, thief-prince and royalty. I am Manic Sarashi Hedgehog: I am not her, I am myself and no one else.' _"I am me," Manic muttered aloud raggedly. It helped to calm him and distance himself from the dream, and at that moment he needed that more than anything. He needed the soft reassurance of his own mind, the knowledge that he was safe. Ignoring the tightness of his stomach he stood and breathed deeply again. One thing was certain; while he _would _become more appropriately distanced as the day went on, he needed a shower _NOW._

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II Fira: Review, or my muses will eat you.

V Manic: o.O; Oooo-kay…


	2. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own the awesomeness that is Manic, except my bizarre little interpretation of him. I don't own Sonic. I don't own Sonia. However I admit to being responsible for the random nasties that make up Manic's body-count. I'm not making any money off of this- _so don't freakin' sue me!_ You don't like slightly creepy, empathic, Manic? Then piss-off. Otherwise enjoy.

Author's Note: Yes, I'm back. Once again, sorry with how long it's taking me to work on _anything_. To Manic the hedeghog, glad you decided to review and see what came of Manic/Klepto. To Chey-suli Night and Incomplete13… -pouts- You should've reviewed damn you! Has everyone forgotten that reviews make the caushog happy?

Manic: As you can see peeps, Fira here's pretty damn pathetic an' wants all the reviews he/she/it… whatever… can get.

Fira: T.T;;; Shut up. Enjoy the second chapter and review damn it all! –flails- C & C is _always_ appreciated and they give me warm fuzzies.

Manic: o?O… Ooooo-kay…

Fira: Feed the caushog! Chaos jellybeans to all who do!

Manic: -.-; Yeah… Just read and enjoy the fic while I get Fira some professional help.

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Sonic frowned as he heard the shower going. Unless that was Sonia, and he_knew_ that it wasn't since he had just seen her scrounging for breakfast, then Manic was up _way_ earlier than usual. Neither Sonic nor Manic were exactly what you'd call 'morning people', so to both of them seven in the morning was a bit early to be up. Six o'clock was unthinkable. Yet here it was, six in the morning, and clearly both of them were awake. It was unsettling.

Knocking on the door Sonic hollered, "Yo, Manic, you alive in there?"

At first he got little to no response, and then- "Yeah, I'm alive bro; just had some wicked dreams last night, that's all." Manic knew all too well that a little bit of truth went a long way when one wanted to hide the full truth. Well, that and a liberal dashing of believable lies.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "You? Having a nightmare? Since when?"

"Dude, since like, last night," Manic shouted back over the sound of the rushing water. "Besides, it's totally way too early for you too." No need to let on that he'd gotten the vague feeling of the early hour from Sonic's mind.

The green-eyed hedgehog snorted at the bathroom door before heading into the kitchen to see how his sister's food-hunt was going. While she could cook admittedly, she wasn't actually the one that stressed healthy portions of said food- instead Manic did. Sonic could still quite clearly recall how startled he'd been when he first found out about these peculiar tweaks of personality. Sonia he had pegged right off as a food-connoisseur, and he would have expected her to strictly adhere to healthy food guidelines. Not so, in fact she was almost as terrible at figuring out decent portions as Sonic was- in other words: neither of them thought about it at all.

Manic threw him off even more; Sonic had expected a junk-food addict like himself with little regard as to what he was eating. Instead Manic was the one that had a tendency to plan out their meals, though he usually let Sonia do the cooking if she felt like it, and _he_ was the one to look at Sonic with complete disgust as he shoveled his way through his fifth or sixth chilidog in a row. In fact the closest Sonic had ever seen Manic get to throwing a fit was when their kitchen was almost bare of any 'real food'. It was downright weird, but he'd gotten used to it. Especially when he found out that at least half of the stuff that Manic would make actually tasted good. Of course, in a bizarre way it made sense. After all, having grown up on the street it seemed only natural that Manic should concern himself with what he ate- he couldn't afford to eat anything that might leave him at anything less than peak health.

Not that it really mattered; what did matter was wheedling at his sister to see if he could convince her to make him some breakfast. Before he could even open his mouth to speak she shot him a borderline death-glare and snapped out, "Chilidogs are _not_ breakfast." Sonic stared at her in dumbfounded silence. Either she knew him far too well, or it was just too early in the morning for the blue hedgehog to function correctly.

His ears swung back in dismay as he muttered, "I wasn't gonna ask that…" She gave him a look that clearly stated that she didn't believe him.

That was when Manic strode into the room, mostly dry but still dripping, and wrapped in a towel. "Yeah well neither is cake or whatever you're thinking of sis."

"I know better than-"

"And with the amount of syrup you put on pancakes or waffles you're _totally_ gonna rot your teeth out." She huffed and stepped aside with her nose in the air. Manic ignored it and started riffling through the fridge. "How did you two like, _ever_ live without me? Oh wait, that's right; you," he pointed at Sonia, "had servants to do this kinda stuff, and you-" his attention turned to Sonic, "-had Uncle Chuck an' your friends on your tail about it."

Both tried to push down the vague feeling of being insulted; Manic never intended it to be an insult and they knew it. It was just the truth as their brother saw it. Turning back to the fridge he picked out a few things, enough to make a balanced meal for each of them, and handed it all to Sonia. "Here, since I _know_ you wanna cook anyway. Not like I can, considering how soaked I am." Though she still looked offended the drenched hedgehog could feel her minor wash of relief. Another bad habit of hers was that when it came to food she was indecisive. _'Weird.'_

Retreating to one of the various seats in the 'kitchen' Manic slid his hands into his quills and shook them vigorously. He counted himself lucky that wet hedgehog didn't smell anywhere near as bad as wet dog. Sonic stood watching Sonia as she went about putting together what Manic had handed her, but then scuttled over to his brother when she gave him a highly irate look that translated to 'Get out of my way or you're not getting breakfast'. Yellow eyes gleamed in amusement as Sonic dropped into the seat next to the green hedgehog.

Spotting his look, Sonic grumbled, "Shut up."

Manic raised a brow. "Dude, _what_? I didn't say anything."

"No, but you were thinking it."

"Like,_ duh!_ Who wouldn't?"

Sonic turned his gaze completely onto his brother, his tone a bit miffed. "You are _way_ too awake for this early in the morning Manic. What yiffing time did that nightmare wake you up?"

"Sonic-" Sonia began.

"Don't curse," Manic finished at the exact same time as their sister, only to receive a slightly reproachful look due to his lightly mocking tone.

Shrugging off the comment from both of them, the blue hedgehog persisted. "Seriously, what time did you wake up? That nightmare must have kicked you awake really early in order for you to be _this_ awake."

Manic shrugged, he could feel the curiosity coming from the both of them (even though in Sonia's case she was trying not to act like she was interested), and though he knew it was in good nature he found it to be a minor annoyance. "I dunno, sometime before the sun was up? Maybe three in the morning?" Unsurprisingly he had all of their attention instantly.

"And you've been awake since then?" Sonia murmured over the sound of eggs cooking in the pan.

The thief-prince nodded, "Yeah, like I said, it was a wicked nightmare."

"What about?" Sonic poked his shoulder to draw his attention.

"Can't remember, something about Robotnik and his creepy double-chin," he lied. _'As if I'm _ever_ going to tell them that I had a rape nightmare from someone else! Forget that!'_ "Or maybe it was Sleet getting rhinoplasty."

Sonia turned to the two of them and _stared_ at Manic silently for a few moments. "I didn't think you even _knew_ that word."

"What, rhinoplasty?" Manic blinked innocently. Once again he'd quite happily upset their estimates of his intelligence. In his mind it was a good idea to let them be fairly complacent about him, but it wouldn't do to have them _too_ complacent. He had to keep them on their toes somehow.

The pink-furred princess nodded slowly. "Where did you ever _learn_ that word? Do you even know what it means?"

A grin split the street-rat prince's face. _'And I've successfully gotten the topic off my nightmare. Good for me.'_ "I learned the word from like, _listening_ when peeps were talking. As for what it means: nose job." He looked about ready to laugh as his brother and sister gaped at him. Sometimes it was just entirely too much fun to spring these little surprises on them.

He couldn't repress a cackle as Sonic said, "You… idiot. Half the time I think you're _lying_ about how smart you are, you drum abusing freak!"

"Dude, that was like, _SO _worth it to see the looks on your faces- and I'm not lying, you're just like, totally oblivious. Hey Sonia- the eggs are burning."

Sonia blinked her brilliantly red eyes for a moment, turned back to the stove and then let out a string of _very_ unladylike expletives as she hurried to shovel the eggs off onto a plate. Manic clamped a damp hand over his mouth as he tried to fight back the snicker that was threatening to burst forth. He knew that if she paused long enough in her ranting to hear him that he was going to get a lecture from hell, as well as one of _those_ looks.

Manic had full intention of enjoying the day; but come nightfall he knew he was going to hit the streets again. He had someone else to hunt down, and his nightmare had pointed the way. That night the thief-prince was going to be hunting another hedgehog. Part of him was looking forward to it.

---

When midnight hit Manic slipped out of his bed and stood silently, listening for the slightest little sounds to tell him if Sonic and Sonia were asleep. It was quiet, too quiet for either of them to be awake. Not even the sound of a turning page disturbed the air. Good, they were both unconscious and wouldn't notice his departure.

Retrieving his black denim vest from under his mattress, Manic pulled it on. Kleptomaniac would never be caught dead wearing one of Manic's soft brown vests; it was part of the illusion that the green hedgehog pulled off to make it seem as though he was two different people. So quietly he barely made a sound, Manic pulled on his shoes and gloves- then came the spikes around his wrists. His metal drumsticks made their way into one of his pockets, and after them his twin daggers. Kleptomaniac was ready for a night out on the town.

His bedroom door opened and closed without even the slightest squeak of the hinges, and he made his way to the van's door- the tread of his feet just as quiet as everything else had been so far. There would be no sense waking either Sonic or Sonia; it would only serve as an obstruction to his goal for the night and that was the last thing he wanted. Manic glanced back briefly as he opened the van's door; all was dim and silent. Mouthing "Good night," he stepped outside and slid the door shut, locking it in the process. No point in leaving Sonic and Sonia vulnerable while he was out, and he wouldn't want to in any case.

Turning away, Kleptomaniac started walking; heading for the area his nightmare had taken place. What better place to start his hunt than at its origins? As he walked his head was held high. There was a bit of a deliberate swagger in his gate, but that was only to attract the attention of the one he was hunting. The green demon didn't even bother acting as though he noticed the few other scattered people on the street; just as well that within moments of seeing him they scuttled out of his way as fast as they could.

Kleptomaniac _owned_ the street; he _was_ the street in mobian form. Though no one recognized him personally, whispers of his name fluttered around as he walked past. Those that whispered were all a good judge at reading body language; they all knew that someone was going to die that night. They hid as he walked past, hoping that they weren't his target. The entire time Kleptomaniac kept his mind open, scanning around to see if he could pick up on anybody with emotions or mental images that matched his nightmare.

Arriving at the alley he paused and looked down it. He didn't need to see the old blood, he could smell it. Clearly the origins of the nightmare had occurred only the night before. "Damn," he growled. Gone was the accent he usually put up around his siblings. Gone was the slightly dazed and stupid tone that often lined his voice around them. His voice was firm and cold as steel, but it held a slight trace of harmony to it. Even more staggering were his eyes; a clear and frigidly burning amber-gold that could make almost anyone weak at the knees in terror with the barest glance. Had either Sonic or Sonia been there to see him they would have been shocked at his transformation.

Swiveling his ears around, he took in all the sounds- and he knew he wasn't alone. He could hear breathing and badly disguised footsteps. Such a laughable attempt would work on someone with a comfortable lifestyle, but not on someone that had grown up on the streets. Regardless of whether the fool was just out for a walk (unlikely) or not; the sound of their footsteps scuffing through a myriad of leaves and garbage on the street was almost as loud as a series of gunshots to the green hedgehog's highly attuned ears.

A quick mental scan proved that it was the one he was looking for, and that his target was out on the prowl for another victim. Apparently the night before hadn't been enough for the monster; he wanted_ more_. Now the waiting game would begin. Taking a hesitant step into the alley Kleptomaniac muttered under his breath, "Come on you bastard… Where are you? Come out and _try_ to grab me. I know you don't give a damn _what_ your victim is, just so long as you have one- so try it."

Sensing the monster's uncertainty, Kleptomaniac put on a bored expression and leaned against a wall as though he were waiting for someone._'Come off as a soft-lived wanna-be punk, act more vulnerable and lure him in. He won't go for someone he thinks can put up a fight, so I have to act like a victim. Wait and… ah! Gotcha you son of a bitch! That's right, you want to go after someone- keep your eyes on the pretty boy in the alley.'_ It wasn't exactly easy to repress the smirk, the fool was walking right into his trap; but he managed. From what he could pick up, the other was already plotting out what he was planning on doing to Manic and how he would do it._'It never ceases to amaze me how many people think in images more than actual words…'_

Glancing down the alley, Kleptomaniac gave a bored huff and grumbled (loud enough to be heard clearly by anyone really listening), "Damn it, he said he was gonna be here. I have to wait longer than ten minutes and I'm gone. …This place gives me the creeps." A theatrical shudder went along with the statement; certainly enough to impress upon the illusion that the thief-prince really had no business being on the street at night. To Kleptomaniac's immense satisfaction the monster bought it; every last ounce of his 'performance' had only confirmed the bastard's delusions that the hedgehog before him was easy pickings.

Kleptomaniac could hear it all too clearly as the fool's footsteps sped up and angled to intercept him before he could leave. Turning his back to the street, a deep golden gaze pierced the gloom of the alley- almost as if he was paranoid that someone was going to come from it. This of course meant that his back was now facing his target; an invitation the monster couldn't refuse.

The second that Kleptomaniac felt the hand on his back he spun around and seized a hold of the other hedgehog's shirt. Brown eyes widened in surprise as, for the first time, _he_ was the one slammed into a wall. A fanged grin snapped into place on the green hedgehog's face, his bright yellow eyes burning into the other's mind. "W-what," the monster stammered, trying to pry the insanely strong hands from his shirt. Collecting his thoughts into some semblance of order was almost out of the question.

A deep rumbling growl came from the golden-eyed demon. "I _know_ what you've been doing. I _know_ what you did last night. I know what you were planning on doing tonight. Did you honestly think I wouldn't take notice? That I _wouldn't_ hunt you down like the scum you are? You're a fool. I know that word of me has been floating around for a while- most idiots like you are smart enough to lay low."

"W-who are you?" the disgrace of a hedgehog's voice was trembling in fear. Those hands… those gloved hands were so strong… Did any echidnas even have that strength? No matter how hard he tried to free himself that grip held on, held on like solid iron. Nothing in the world was that strong… It couldn't be.

Manic let out a sharp bark of laughter, completely devoid of mirth. "Take a wild guess, fool! Surely you have _some_ intelligence if you were able to single people out in the night and take them down for your own satisfaction." He let his grip loosen minutely; he wanted this bastard to know the same fear the woman from the night before had felt. Kleptomaniac wanted this monster to try to run before he cut him down. He wanted revenge.

Finally the monster's not-so-subtle tugging paid off; the moment he was free of Kleptomaniac's grasp he ran. Yellow eyes followed him, letting him get two or three blocks away before the thief-prince made his move. Zipping up the side of a building the green hedgehog started roof-jumping after his target. At the speed he was going he was more running than actually jumping; going from one side of the street to the other was almost little more than a small hop in the thief-prince's stride.

He followed along leisurely enough, allowing the monstrosity on the street below to briefly think that he'd lost his pursuer. As the monster turned to look at the path behind him, gasping from the exertion of the run, Kleptomaniac dropped to the ground right at his back. A hiss from the golden eyed thief made the monster freeze with his brown eyes wide in horror. "Did you really think it would be that easy to escape me? I'm called a demon for a reason: you _can't_ elude me, no matter how hard you try."

The monster glanced at him for less than a second, and then tried once again to run for his life. In the blink of an eye Kleptomaniac was in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop. Golden eyes flashed in cold and brutal amusement. Manic's empathy was making him want to stop, and at the same time keep going. All he had to do was remember the screams and tears of the woman from his nightmare, and his resolve was strengthened. This bastard's fear was what he deserved- he shouldn't get any mercy. Even his mind said as much.

Plunging himself into the other's mind, Kleptomaniac's eyes narrowed as the monster shuddered from the sudden mental assault. The green hedgehog rifled through images and memories, heedless of how the monster felt as a result. What he saw in there shook him to his core and made him want to be sick. _'I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have gone into his mind. Oh goddess… I think I'm going to be ill.'_

The brown eyed hedgehog took advantage of Kleptomaniac's moment of unbalance and darted down an alley. Cursing himself for a fool the green furred prince chased after him. Nothing like _THAT_ deserved to live. He had no idea how he could have _not_ noticed the monster at the club or the thoughts he'd had about the thief-prince and his siblings. Yet in a sickening way it made sense- at that time those thoughts had only been words, not images. He couldn't hear or read words with his empathy, he wasn't a telepath, he could only feel the emotions those words generated and see the images that went with them.

As much as he mentally wanted to recoil from any touch of the bastard, he _could not_ afford to let him live. Manic couldn't let the monster go to violate another person, he couldn't let him go with the knowledge of what he looked like, and above all else he couldn't let him _ever_ get the chance to get at either Sonic or Sonia. With his mind locked onto the bastard's in an almost empathic embrace, it was easy to track him down. The moment he spotted him, Kleptomaniac's eyes narrowed to slits.

Ten blocks, almost a mile ahead of him: a short distance for the green-furred speedster. The dirt-gray hedgehog was desperately looking for a place to hide, to dart into and escape the enraged golden-eyed demon. Kleptomaniac wasn't going to allow him that. Taking out one of his metal drumsticks as he ran Manic carefully focused, and then slammed the drumstick into the ground.

The one thing that Sonia and Sonic, as well as their friends, continually misunderstood about his own unique capability was that the strength that created earthquakes when he used his drums wasn't due to the instrument. All of that strength was present in his arms- the drumsticks and drums only helped him to focus it to a pinpoint precision. Simply put, his arm strength out-classed anyone else living and _that_, if nothing else, made him comparable to an enraged demon. One that not even the Guardian, the strongest echidna in the world, would want to mess with.

As such the other hedgehog was completely unprepared when the ground suddenly heaved up under his feet and sent him tumbling. A loud rumble accompanied this miniature earthquake, shaking and rattling buildings before it reached its target. Car alarms were going off as Kleptomaniac stalked the last few feet to the dazed gray hedgehog and yanked him to his feet.

Terrified brown eyes locked onto the thief prince and a panicked babbling issued forth from the monster. "Y-you're… You can't be… Are you-"

Kleptomaniac cut him off with a dagger right below the ribs and aimed upward. The man's mental images were enough to tell him what he suspected. With a tone of disgust he snarled, "I think you have me mixed up with some other green hedgehog. _I'm_ Kleptomaniac." The dagger slid home violently, and soon the bleeding body was dropped. Wiping off the blade before returning it to its sheath, the yellow-eyed empath stood and waited for the monster to bleed out. He wasn't going to take any chances for the bastard to live, especially since they were so close to the van.

Ten minutes, a thoroughly dead corpse, and four blocks later Manic slipped into the van. He wouldn't have the same nightmare that night, but he felt he needed a shower all the same. Manic already knew that his mental landscape for the night was going to be a rough ride courtesy of what he'd found in the gray hedgehog's mind- he already felt sick as it was. The first wave of queasiness was wiped away as the hot water hit his body, and in its place came relief that his brother and sister were safe. As he watched the monster's blood swirl down into the drain Manic prayed that the memories belonging to said fiend would go with it.

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II Here's the button,

II You know what to do,

II So there it is,

V Now please review.


	3. Suspicion

Disclaimer: Just like last time I don't own Manic, but I do own his warped little issues that I gave him. Don't own Sonic, Sonia, or Knux. However Qet is entirely mine. Therefore don't steal my bird and don't sue me for the rest of it. Only thing you could probably get from me is a basket full of angry badger babies. Yeah… -.-; Don't ask.

Author's Note: Taco damn it, school sucks! Anyway, I'm back, sorry for the slow update, blah-dy blah blah. No I haven't abandoned any of my other fics, it's just getting time to work on them is the problem. On to reviews!

Manic the hedeghog- I'm glad you liked the whole sibling-play I put in there. I figured that Sonic had to have something to call Manic to tease him from time to time, and that was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry that it fell off a bit, but when Manic goes into Klepto-mode he gets all serious and scary… and he doesn't ignore his emotions so much. I know it was a sudden shift, but I'm trying to get the chapters fairly long.

Incomplete13- Okay, fair point. Thanks for the fav by the way.

Fira: Anyway, as usual please review. 'Tis greatly appreciated. Reviews feed the muses! n.n

Manic: O.o… Riiiiight… Just read and enjoy.

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Manic woke up with his heart pounding and his claws digging holes in his mattress. For a moment he thought that the loud incessant pounding was the blood rushing through his body, but then he realized that it was Sonic banging on his door. _'What time is it?'_ Shakily turning his eyes to his alarm clock, he froze. It was one in the afternoon… _far_ later than when he typically got up. Shoving himself upright the green hedgehog tried to steady himself before he slid off the bed and stumbled over to the door.

Pulling it open he was met with a frowning emerald gaze that spoke volumes for the blue hedgehog's concern. Blinking away sleep and the remnants of his nightmare Manic spoke. "Bro, what's the matter?" He was pleasantly surprised that his voice wasn't shaking.

Sonic was silent for a moment before muttering, "There's word floating around about something that happened last night."

"Like what?"

The blue-furred prince's tone was grim. "Kleptomaniac's in the area, or at least that's what people are saying… And Manic?" The thief-prince cocked his head in an unspoken question. "Someone turned up dead; someone that was with the resistance."

Green ears swiveled back in worry. That son of a bitch had been with the resistance? That was bad enough, but more importantly: Had anyone found out about the earthquake? If so then Manic was in for a grilling from his siblings. Tentatively he reached into Sonic's mind, and felt a wave of relief that the earthquake (which Sonic _had_ heard about) and the killing weren't connecting. Withdrawing, Manic frowned. "Who said it was Kleptomaniac, Sonic? I mean, it could've been anybody. Nobody really _knows_ what the dude looks like."

The green-eyed hedgehog sighed as he shifted his weight. "Sonia went out to get some food a while ago. On her way back somebody on the street stopped her and said that it was a bad idea to be wandering alone, and that Kleptomaniac was in the area- that he'd gone insane and was starting to hunt the resistance. They said… They said that Kleptomaniac was a hedgehog. One with yellow eyes."

Manic almost froze, but on seeing those green eyes studying him closely he forced down the reaction. "So he's a hedgehog… Did the peep actually _see_ the guy? It could have been someone else, easy. I mean, he could've been lyin' to Sonia without knowing it. There _are_ a few races that look like hedgehogs at first glance y'know."

The emotions rolling off of Sonic were as rapid and numerous as the flickering of the barest flame. It had Manic on edge, though he refused to show it. "From what the guy said to Sonia, he saw everything… at least when it came to the person who got killed. He said that he heard him say that he was Kleptomaniac."

'_Crap. Shouldn't have made the earthquake, shouldn't have let myself be seen by so many. The only way I _didn't_ mess up last night was in killing the bastard and taking advantage of how dark it was.'_ "Alright, you made your point dude. So what do you want to do about this?" Bright golden yellow eyes met Sonic's look evenly. He had to show that he was behind whatever his siblings might suggest, or they might start to get suspicious of him. Needless to say, that kind of attention was the last thing he wanted.

Sonic stared at him for a long moment, and then stated clearly, "We have to stop him. As far as we know, the person who died last night was innocent. From what's been floating around that we've been overhearing… everybody's worried that he's started to work for Robotnik. We don't know one way or the other; so we have to find him, talk to him. We're going to need help tracking him down, and that means we're going to get Knuckles involved."

Manic nodded, but one thought ran through his mind that summed up the situation perfectly. _'Spraint.'_

--

Knuckles wasn't just the Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds, he was also the best tracker that the royal triplets knew. All-in-all that meant bad news for Manic; _not_ to say that he had any intention of wandering in the night while this 'hunt' was going on- he was by no means _that_ reckless. All the same though, he planned on keeping his profile as low as he could get it. The fact that Manic was unusually quiet about the situation didn't go unnoticed, and well he knew it; but Knuckles said nothing about his knowledge of the green triplet acting out of character.

The four of them combed the area repetitively, scrounging for just the slightest bit of news of Kleptomaniac. Unbeknownst to the other three, Manic _deliberately_ avoided talking to his friends that he spotted on the street. Those that did know his secret he could trust to play stupid when the time was right. Also, if he acted like he didn't _know_ his friends, then his siblings and the guardian would have no clue that he knew them at all. A flawless plan really. Or so he thought.

When Knuckles arrived, Sonic led the other three to the site of Kleptomaniac's most recent kill. Thoughtfully (though it made Manic twitch internally to think of it) Sonic had gone scouting around the area before he had bothered calling up the Guardian. To say the least it hadn't been hard to find the wake of destruction that the thief-prince had left behind. This of course, in Manic's estimation, was a _very bad_ thing. The _only_ thing he felt thankful for was that Knux didn't know his scent as well as he knew Sonic's. There was a chance, though admittedly slim, that the red-furred echidna would mistake his scent for Sonic's and a mixture of others.

As Knuckles kneeled down and inhaled deeply at the site, Manic hung back. What in all of Mobius was he going to do if the echidna figured him out? After a few moments of sampling the air, purple eyes slid open and locked on the triplets. "I'm not getting anything definite, but I do know _one_ thing."

"That being?" Sonic asked impatiently.

The echidna gave him an annoyed look before continuing. "Kleptomaniac has got to be a hedgehog. _All_ that I smell here is hedgehog, aside from the normal traffic at any rate. That means that either he was packing some serious fire-power; or you're not dealing with a _normal_ hedgehog." With a sinking sense of dread Manic could feel the ripples of suspicion from the echidna lapping at his mind. A brief mental 'look' confirmed it- Knuckles had connected what Sonic hadn't.

'_Damn!'_ "So… Like, what kinda fire-power would the dude have to be packin' to do all this?" Manic motioned to the havoc he'd created the night before. The street was torn up, shattered glass sparkled here or there on the ground, and several buildings had huge cracks going up their sides. One crack was as wide as Manic's fist. To say the least there was quite a load of property damage.

Knuckles paused for a moment in thought before he spoke. "He'd have to have access to things that aren't easy to come by, obviously. He'd have to get it either from the remnants of the Royal Family surplus _or_ from Robotnik. To be honest he could be working with either side- if no one is making a fuss about anything like that going missing. Or he could be working on his own and might have just sneaked it out under everyone's noses."

Sonia frowned, "But the kind of skill that would take to do in either case… I find that hard to believe."

The Guardian snorted at his friends. "Believe what you want to Sonia, I'm just here to track him down for you: Nothing more, nothing less."

"And all of that thought-sharing just now was _what_ precisely?" Sonic smirked, deliberately poking at his friend.

A cool violet gaze met his eyes before the echidna stated (if a trifle condescendingly), "Pointing out the obvious to make sure you had a firm grasp on the situation. I know better than to trust _your_ intelligence."

Sonic made a show of being offended while both of his siblings snickered at him. Yet as Knuckles went back to his 'investigating', Manic could still feel a deep-seated sense of dread. His instincts were telling him that this situation was not a good one by any stretch of the imagination; and his instincts were very rarely wrong. _'I just hope that Knux doesn't make any _more_ profound leaps in logic. If he does… there's no telling how much Sonic and Sonia will find out.'_

--

The violet-eyed echidna watched Manic carefully out of the corner of his eye. He had always thought that the green thief-prince was peculiar, and now he had even more reason to believe so. There were several people on the street that clearly recognized him; and it was plainly obvious to the Guardian that the believed-to-be-densest of the triplets knew them just as well. Not a word was spoken between Manic and those that he knew. All that passed between them was a look and a brief shake of the head; warning them off. The first time Knuckles spotted the brief exchange he'd been ready to believe it had been his imagination. After the fifth time and a quickly mouthed 'later', he was no longer willing to brush it off as his mind playing tricks on him.

Could it be that Manic was smarter than he was letting on? Knuckles had had his suspicions about the green hedgehog's intelligence before, but now he was even more convinced of it. Manic was hiding something- the only question was; what? His curiosity was piqued. Perhaps keeping an eye on Manic would answer some questions- Knuckles was only hitting dead-ends in looking for Kleptomaniac's scent anyway. All that he was picking up were the scents of Sonic, Manic, Sonia, and a _very dead_ hedgehog.

Not that he suspected Manic of being involved in any way with the killing, but maybe the thief-prince knew more about Kleptomaniac than he'd said. The big question was: were Sonic or Sonia aware that their brother was keeping something from them? He got his chance to question Sonic three hours into his search when Manic excused himself to 'go looking for some _real_ food'.

Once Manic was gone, the red echidna strode over to the blue hedgehog. "Sonic, mind if I talk to you alone for a bit?"

"What about?"

"Manic."

--

The bird shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm tellin' ya Manic, you're walkin' a tight-rope here. Just how long do you think you can keep them in the dark?"

Manic sighed as he leaned on the table between the two of them, his chin propped up on his hands. "I know Qet, I know. And before you even say it, _I know_ what Farrel would say."

The pale ocean blue and purple peacock/hawk cross-breed ground his beak in consideration. "Then why aren't you doing it?"

Yellow eyes snapped up from staring at Qet's black talons to meet his dark silver eyes. A frown flickered across his face. "Do you have _any_ idea what I'd be getting myself into? I'm dealing with a prissy princess and an annoying hero for the goddess's sake! _Both _of whom, I might add, see absolutely _no_ reason to kill anyone like that slime-ball as a good one."

Qet snorted derisively; a rather interesting accomplishment for one with a beak. "And both of them are your siblings, or are you forgetting? C'mon Kleptomaniac, get with the program. Sooner or later they're gonna figure you out- what then? More lies on top of the extensive totem pole that you've already built? I sure as hell know that you wouldn't manipulate anybody with your empathy even if you could. Sure, you can overwhelm them with _your_ emotions for a while, but you can't keep up that emotional level forever. It'd wear you out."

"Having fun poking holes in my train of thought again Qet?," the green hedgehog snarled aggressively. His quills bristled and his eyes flashed warningly. Sometimes this 'best friend' of his got on his nerves. Simply put, as Knuckles was to Sonic; Qet was to Manic. It made for an interesting friendship and rivalry.

The corners of Qet's hawk-beak turned up as much as they were able: an out-and-out smirk or grin of satisfaction on a mostly immobile face. Midnight-tinged eyebrows raised in condescending amusement and black hand-talons lazily drummed on the table. "It's hardly _my_ fault that you're just _so_ damned easy to read. If you want to blame anybody for being able to figure out your emotional state, blame yourself and your empathy. It's gets you into more trouble than you're worth anyway."

"More trouble than _I'm_ worth? Just whose side are you on feather-head?"

Another smirk, "For the most part: my own… though I have no problem poking my beak into your business from time to time. Call it a 'pastime' if you will. Besides, who's more of a predator; you or me? _I'm_ set up to be able to spot subtle nuances like that. For you hedgehogs it's an entirely different story. Come to think of it, it's no wonder you've been able to fool your brother and sister this long- from what I know hedgehogs are kind of oblivious."

A heated yellow glare was his answer. "Qetzenthala, you're treading on thin ice. Unless you want me to start plucking tail-feathers I suggest that you knock it off."

The cross-breed bird shrugged as though he didn't particularly care either way. Even without his empathy Manic would have known better. "Look, all I'm saying is that eventually your brother and sister are going to figure you out. You can either tell them out-right, or feel like a complete sleaze-ball when they find out on their own. You've got a choice to make here Klepto; but I'm not going to be your keeper and make it for you. Farrel wouldn't want that, and _I_ sure as hell wouldn't want that. I know you're trying to keep them protected an' all, but give them a little credit. If _you_ don't need protecting, what makes you think they do?"

Manic sighed, a hint of frustration in his tone. "They need to be protected because… they don't know what full hell this world can be. Sonic I'm not worried about so much since he's _always_ been tangled up in the war, but Sonia… She's a princess through and through. She was _raised_ by an aristocrat- hell, she's _engaged_ to one!"

"You've mentioned."

"My point is that even if I can trust Sonic to handle himself fairly well on the street, which I can't –you have no _idea_ how many traps he's nearly walked into-, I can trust Sonia even less because half the time she has no idea how to spot the peeps to avoid over a mile away. That's why she's senselessly engaged to one of the bastards! If I can't trust them to know how to keep themselves safe from people they think are on _our_ side, how can I trust them to accept and keep quiet about _my_ secret?"

Qet clicked his tongue in disapproval. "You have a lot of baggage there my friend. Even so, regardless of what arguments you might bring up, you _know_ what 'the great and wise' Farrel would say."

"Get over it and just tell them; I know, I know," the green hedgehog stated simultaneously with his friend.

The 'pea-hawk' gave the prince a condescending look as he retorted, "Well if you _know_, then go home and _do it already_! Knowing you though… You're probably going to insist on keeping your mouth shut for a while."

A chuckle, "You know me far too well Qet."

"I should, considering the fact that I grew up with your stubborn green hide."

--

"You think he actually _knows_ Kleptomaniac?" Sonic's tone was ponderous as he considered the echidna's words.

Knuckles nodded grimly. "It's the only thing that makes sense. Either he saw what happened last night, or he knows him personally. As for all this," the red-furred guardian motioned to the earthquake-torn street, "…I'm not saying he had anything to do with it directly, but I wouldn't be surprised if your brother knew something about it."

Sonic's ears flicked back briefly at the thought. "So we should be asking anybody if they heard drums last night, is that it?"

Knuckles shook his head emphatically, his dreds swaying. "No; Manic doesn't have it in him to be a killer like this. You know it, I know it. The guy who did this… Kleptomaniac knows how to hit a vital point in just one shot. Not that I need to say this; but he's got assassin-level capabilities."

The blue hedgehog let his eyes slide over the chaos and his ears slumped back in surrender. "Man, this sucks… guess we've got no choice _but_ to confront him. Something tells me this is _not_ going to go over well with _either_ of my sibs."

--

Sonic had no idea how right he was. Sonia damn near threw a fit when she heard about the peculiar behavior of their brother; not to mention throwing a few 'I told you so's at Sonic. Manic, when he was confronted, went pale as a sheet. Before anybody had any chance to push the conversation past, "What were you doing out here last night?" the green hedgehog had made some excuse about needing to lie down and departed to his room on the van. To say the least their brother had panicked and escaped the _second_ an opportunity arrived. It only confirmed Knuckles's suspicions.

Manic locked his bedroom door within moments of getting inside and began pacing as he mentally picked apart the situation. How had they figured out he'd been there? Knuckles obviously. The guardian was more subtle than the thief-prince had given him credit for. Now Sonia's thoughts were a whirlwind of images (most involving Manic getting threatened in one way or another); and Sonic's distress about the situation was rattling around in his head like beans in a coffee-can. The only remotely tranquil mind was that of the echidna's, and even Knux had his own theories and ideas whirling around at a disturbing rate.

Pulling back into his own mind the green hedgehog continued his pacing even as he cursed himself for his stupidity. They knew he'd been out there. They didn't know why, and they didn't know that he had been the only one out there on the hunt for the now-dead bastard. They didn't know he had killed. Taking a deep breath he asked himself, "Okay, bad sitch. Is there any way I can get myself out of this?" It took him only a few minutes of pondering over his predicament to let out a frustrated sigh and mumble, "Oh hell."

Meanwhile Knuckles was left with the other two hedgehogs for company. Turning to them he calmly stated, "Well that proves it, either your brother knows him personally or he ran into him last night. Either way it's kind of obvious that Manic doesn't want to talk about it."

"Maybe Kleptomaniac saw him," Sonia muttered as she paced back and forth, "Maybe he threatened him to make him stay silent about what he saw…"

"I don't know about that; Manic's always been a bit too hard-headed to get scared by much," Sonic pointed out as he leaned against a shattered wall.

Knuckles flicked one of his dreds back over a shoulder flippantly. "If that's true then it means either Kleptomaniac didn't see him or, as I've said, your brother knows him personally." Sonia froze in her tracks as she pondered over the idea that her brother, _her_ brother, could be even remotely involved with such a killer. The idea made her blood run cold.

"No. No, no, no. Manic _can't_ be involved with a maniac like that. He _can't_ be." Sonia's voice was becoming just a touch shrill with her mixture of panic, worry, and the desire to protect her seemingly innocent brother.

Sonic's ears flattened against his head. "Okay, so we keep an eye on him-"

"That's what we should have been doing in the first place," she snapped back at him. "If we had started watching him back when I first suggested it- back when we first heard _talk_ of Kleptomaniac- then Manic wouldn't be wrapped up in this like he is now! But noooooo, you didn't want to spy on him. You didn't-"

Sonic flinched back from the onslaught of his sister's fury. There was a part of him that was immensely relieved (namely the part of him that wanted to _survive_) when Knuckles cut off the female hedgehog's ranting. "Look, there's nothing for it now except to watch him. Neither of you can change the past, so there's no point in ripping off Sonic's head for something he 'should have done'. You already dragged me into helping you look for Kleptomaniac, so it isn't too much of a stretch to have me help keep an eye on Manic."

Sonia's ruby red gaze stared into violet eyes for a few moments before she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to calm herself. Opening them again her eyes flared with a firm resolve, eerily echoing the same stubborn look of her brothers'. Sonic felt a brief chill go down his spine, but chose to keep his thoughts to himself. Sometimes Sonia could be downright scary. "Alright; but if I see even one sign of that… _assassin_…"

Knuckles arched a brow at the unstated threat. "…We'll make sure he doesn't get his hands on Manic." This was enough to sooth the enraged princess, and it showed in the way she sharply nodded and marched off. Glancing at Sonic the echidna muttered, "Your sister is…"

"-Scary, I know," Sonic finished. "Believe me Knux, you have no idea how frightening she can be when she wants to."

--

Manic meanwhile still kept himself locked in his room. When Sonia came back to the van and tried to ask him what he was hiding; he refused to talk or even open his door. He knew it was suspicious and peculiar, and just plain out of the norm: but he saw no other way to avoid saying, "Yes I saw Kleptomaniac." He puzzled various ideas over, picked them apart piece by piece, but there was nothing he could come up with that he _knew_ none of them would see through. If any of them, Sonic, Sonia, or even Knuckles, spotted such a blatant lie; then he knew the question would come up as to what else he had lied about.

Needless to say: bad territory there. Oh his siblings and friend tried; wheedling and cajoling, trying to get him to talk about _that which wouldn't be said_. Stubbornly he kept his door locked and refused to answer. Nothing they said or tried would get him to talk; though a couple of the things Sonia suggested through his door almost made him start laughing hysterically. In fact in the privacy of his own room with no one to see him there were a few times where the panic almost overwhelmed him into having some bizarre kind of breakdown. However- knowing what Farrel would have said, knowing what Qet _would_ say, about the situation- he firmly kept himself under control.

He didn't care how outside the norm it was when he refused dinner; he knew that fluttering through their minds was the idea of barging into his room the moment the door opened. For once in his life Manic _didn't want to know_ what they were all feeling. He didn't want to know the various possibilities they thought up that came creeping into his mind. He did not want to hear the faint whispers of their voices in his mind. For where one whisper was, there was two- then three, then four, then five thousand. Manic had only enough time to register the attack of empathy just before it hit.

His golden eyes rolling back in his head, Manic collapsed to the floor and shuddered as a wave of voices, thoughts, and images crashed over his mind. Clutching his head with his hands the green hedgehog curled into a ball. He could hear and feel the concern from Sonic, Sonia, and Knuckles about the loud thump that had emanated from his room, but their 'voices' were almost drowned out by the thousands of others he was feeling. Resolutely he gritted his teeth, biting back a scream as he convulsively shuddered from the emotional overload. There were so many different emotions at once- anger, hate, love, betrayal, joy, amusement, sadness, horror, calm- and all of it was tearing through his mind at once.

Manic tried to search, tried to focus on _just one_ so he could block out all the others, but this wasn't like the last time it had happened. Last time Farrel had been around, calmly trying to talk him back while gently holding him. Last time there was a calm mind the thief-prince had been in direct contact with that he could focus on. This time there was only the overwhelming barrage of voices in his mind and the sound of his siblings pounding on the door in panic. An almost painful shiver wracked his body and Manic had to fight to keep his hands holding onto his head. If he unintentionally hit the floor and created an earthquake he could all too easily kill some of those he cared most about.

'_I…will…not…HURT THEM!'_ Holding on to his self against the wave of faceless voices and emotions was difficult, but he plowed on- trying to look for one mind that was constant enough to hold on to. Unfortunately for him when he found that mind it was one of the last he would have _ever_ wanted to seize hold of. The moment he grabbed hold of the child's mind as an anchor point all other voices were blocked out- and that was when his eyes snapped wide open and the scream that he'd been holding back ripped itself from his chest at a volume that it would be impossible to miss even 10 blocks away.

Hearing that scream caused the three on the other side of the door to flinch in pain before Sonic finally kicked down the door. The first thing they noticed was Manic passed out on the floor, his breathing rapid and his eyes rolled back in his head. The second thing any of them noticed was that the metal of the floor was twisted and bent in deep gouges where the green furry thief-prince had gripped it. Ignoring it, Sonic rushed to Manic's side and pulled his brother close. The hitch in his brother's breath and the convulsive shudder that accompanied it scared Sonic more than he would have ever wanted to admit. Looking at Sonia and Knuckles, Sonic's ears were pinned back and the barely contained fear in his eyes was plain to see. "H-he's passed out, but-," the blue hedgehog found himself unable to finish the sentence.

This was nothing like what any of them had expected of the green prince, and it left the other two siblings uncertain of what to do about it. Could it be that their brother had had some kind of seizure? Knuckles didn't like it any more than his friends did, but from long years of training himself to be calm in the least calm of situations, he was clearly the most level-headed of them for the time being. Taking charge he stepped forward, gently and firmly moving Sonia out of his way as he did so. "Sonic, I think it's best if you get him out on the couch. I don't exactly think his room is inhabitable right now."

Sonic nodded: glad for anyone else to take charge in a situation where he had no idea what to do. The peculiarity of the circumstances never entered into his mind; the prince being ordered by the guardian. Scooping up his brother as he stood, the blue hedgehog made his way out past the echidna and his sister wordlessly. All that mattered was making sure that his brother was okay. He didn't even twitch an ear as Sonia followed after him a moment later.

Knuckles paused in the green hedgehog's room and glanced at the battered floor. Kneeling down he pulled a glove off and delicately traced a finely boned finger along one of the deeper gouges. It was the perfect groove for the grip of someone trying desperately to hold on to something. Frowning, the echidna's purple eyes darkened. _'Obviously you're hiding even more than I thought Manic. This kind of strength… How long have you been deliberately hiding it I wonder? If you can do this, what else can you do? What else have you done?' _

Cutting off his train of thought the guardian stood and pulled back on his glove. With how rattled two of the royal siblings were about the state of the passed-out third, he knew they needed some guidance and leadership for just a little while. Thinking that, he could almost hear Mighty's amused taunt that he was 'Mother-Henning people again.' Giving a slight snarl as he turned to leave the room, Knuckles made a mental note to punch a certain armadillo the next time he saw him. Or better yet, make Chaotix-stew since he knew the rest of them would be just as amused.

II

II

II Need I say it anymore?

II Is not feedback an encore?

II So push the button _por favor_.

V Manic: In other words, please review and make the caushog shut up.


	4. Deception

Disclaimer: Great Taco, if I owned Manic… Well, Sonic Underground would be very different, wouldn't it? Alas, I do not own the awesomeness that is the spiney green thief or his sibs. So therefore, don't yiffing sue me! Got it? Good.

Author's Note: Well now, this is a miracle isn't it? It hasn't taken me _a month or two_ to update. Could this possibly put a stop to the delay(s)-of-doom ™? -gasps- Probably not considering my track record, but one would hope. As usual, if you don't like the emotional and slightly creepy Manic, don't read. Oh yes, and so you know, this chapter is part of the reason why I rated this fic as M (just in case). So just know that things are getting a bit darker now. Now then, onto reviews!

Incomplete13- Glad to see my throwing Knux in worked out well. I guess I just had to complicate things for our favorite thief. n.n As for the Chaotix, while they won't show in this fic, I'm kind of toying with the idea of a third fic in connection with this universe that'll bring them in.

Manic the hedeghog- Well you asked for it, and while it wasn't an instant update at least it didn't take forever. Hope you enjoy. n.nV

Yami Kaiyoh- Well don't I feel flattered! Thanks for the kudos by the way. As for how you view Manic, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that's had the idea of him hiding who he really is. In regards to the whole Klepto/Manic thing, both sides are kind of a mask for him. Except around Qet, Farrel and them anyway. He's kind of doing this whole "be scarier than I actually am" thing in Klepto mode and "be stupider than I am" in Manic mode. Yeah… it's weird. As for there not being enough _good_ Manic-centric fics; completely agreed. That was actually part of the motivation for this honestly. Thanks for thinking I'm up on the level of Netraptor, Az, and the rest. That's actually one of the highest compliments I've gotten so far.

Sammythehedghog- O.O Thank you Sammy for the awesomeness that is that song. You're right that it sounds like it _belongs_ with this fic; and courtesy of hunting down that song I actually found the themesong for one of the characters that shows up later on. I do believe you've inspired a possible fic-related playlist on my youtube account.

Fira: If any of you are curious about the possible themesong for this fic that Sammy pointed out to me, it's "Somebody Help Me" by Full Blown Rose. It can be found on youtube, and if I ever get off my butt and make a playlist on there for this fic (we're talking focusing only on the songs here, not really paying attention to the vids), you can find me there at CaushogofFire. Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, enjoy and please review.

--

Manic's sleep was troubled over the next few hours; he'd suddenly roll over or let out a sharp gasp that sounded as if he'd just been hit. It worried both of his siblings, but what worried them more were the rare coherent words that he uttered in his restless slumber. From the sound of it whatever was plaguing his mind was far from pleasant. When he did finally wake up he snapped awake and laid there with his eyes wide and his breath rattling in and out of his chest for a few minutes.

"Manic?" Sonic voice was wary and concerned, almost as if he was afraid of setting off another fit of- whatever it was. It was enough to fully snap the green hedgehog awake and he bolted upright.

"'S-'scuse me, I gotta-," Manic didn't even bother finishing his sentence before he was on his feet and bolting for the bathroom. This time he forgot to even bother closing the door as he started losing the contents of his stomach in his tribute to the porcelain god. Sonic stared after his brother in shock for only a second before getting up and trailing after him. Sonia had long since gone to bed, exhausted as she was from the emotional roller-coaster that day had been. This left Sonic awake watching over his brother and Knuckles meditating on the roof of the van (for whatever reason that made sense to his unusual echidna mind).

When he reached the doorway to the bathroom he was greeted with the sight of his normally laid-back and relaxed brother doubled over the toilet and heaving as his stomach fought to rid itself of everything. Sonic had never seen Manic like this; it was unsettling at best. "Not exactly your best look," the green-eyed prince weakly teased.

Manic hacked and coughed before retorting, "Yeah dude, but I'm pretty sure you don't look so good yourself when you're pukin'- Oh goddess!" Sonic flinched as his brother was hit with another bout of stomach upheaval. After about ten minutes of intermittent dry-heaves and hacking Manic's stomach calmed down and he was able to flush the mess into non-existence. The thief-prince weakly dragged himself to his feet and then to the sink to brush his teeth, all under the concerned scrutiny of his brother's emerald green eyes.

Before the green furred hedgehog could even stumble to the doorway Sonic was there supporting him. Manic was a lot of things that sometimes Sonic had a hard time understanding; being weak was not one of them. In all the time he had known his brother Manic had been everything from being of questionable intelligence, a pain in the neck, compassionate, to downright stubborn: _never _had he been weak, or anything remotely approaching it. He felt no desire to see him as such now. Yellow eyes gave a questioning glance, and Sonic replied to the unspoken query bluntly. "Don't need you falling on your face."

For just a split second Sonic saw unbelievable exhaustion in those brilliant yellow eyes. It was swept away by the smile that crept onto his brother's face. The emotion there was a bit difficult to read; but it seemed as if there was… a kind of sad happiness? ...that Sonic cared. Just the barest hint of Manic's characteristic grin flickered in his eyes before he spoke. "I told ya that you an' Sonia could never stop lovin' me-"

Green eyes gave the thief-prince a quizzical look before the statement clicked. Sonic gave a slightly derisive snort, though he was glad that Manic was at least acting a little more normal, and then completed the thief's sentence. "-because you're 'just that lovable'; I know you freak." The chuckle from Manic was reassuring as Sonic helped him back to the couch.

As he collapsed back on to the couch Manic was relieved that Sonic's emotions were, for the time being, low-key and subtle. Had they been any stronger than they were, the empathic prince wasn't sure that his feeble mental walls would have held up. As it was his mental state was most easily put as rattled. The mind he had locked onto… just thinking about what the child had been going through made it hard for him to repress a shudder.

Snapping out of his train of thought he looked up at the concerned expression on Sonic's face. Seeing that much worry in those usually laughing green eyes, the cobalt blue ears pinned back almost so far as to be invisible among the quills, just made Manic feel like dirt for being the cause of that emotion. "Okay, what'd I do that has you so freaked dude?" he chanced feebly. The only choice when it came to concern, as he had learned from Farrel, was to meet it head-on.

The blue hedgehog was silent for a moment before he took a seat next to Manic. "Earlier you…," letting out a sigh he continued, "Do you have any memory of earlier today?"

Manic blinked stupidly, trying to think past the emotional wreckage that was his state of mind. "What are you talking about?"

If it were possible Sonic's ears flattened even more closely to his head. "When you were in your room and we wanted to talk to you about Kleptomaniac… Well… You kind of…"

"Spit it out," Manic snapped, his patience wearing thin. Sonic flinched slightly, but brushed it off quickly.

"You suddenly just screamed… complete and total bloody murder. When we got the door open you were passed out on the floor and shaking." The green-furred thief-prince shrank back a little. Cobalt blue ears slowly started perking back up. "Is there something you aren't telling us?" the concern in Sonic's voice made his brother wince internally.

"I-I'm fine dude, seriously," Manic weakly stated, knowing that it wouldn't put Sonic off for a second.

"Manic… Nobody does anything like that for no reason. Did you have some kind of seizure or something?" Sonic placed a hand on the thief's shoulder, and Manic involuntarily flinched back at the wave of emotion that came cascading into his mind from that small bit of contact. The blue speed-demon couldn't help the frown that dropped onto his face.

Opening his golden eyes, his ears back as he regarded the hero that was his brother, Manic muttered, "It's okay dude, I'm alright. I just…" Try as he might with his beleaguered mind, Manic couldn't find a suitable excuse to explain his 'fit'. Frustration and mental exhaustion caused him to drop his face into his hands. Might as well just start talking and see if anything gave him any ideas to avoid the topic. "Look, I just… Okay, yeah, I've got freakin' problems, but can we _not_ talk about it right now? _Please_?"

Sonic frowned and again reached for his brother- and was immediately startled by how quickly Manic's hand intercepted his own. "Manic… What the hell is going on?" Manic's gold eyes darted up to Sonic's concerned features and the blue blur was surprised by the vehemence in that silent near-glare.

Before he could say anything more the thief-prince snapped out, "Dude, just back off. Okay? Just…" Jerking away from Sonic and releasing his hand the green hedgehog had a hard time keeping his hands from automatically drifting to his forehead. The wash of emotions the other was putting out was becoming a bit too powerful for him to handle at that moment. "D-don't touch me- for now- okay? I'm not… I'm not fully awake and-," a quick flash of what had been happening to the child jolted through his mind. A shudder rippled through his body as he clamped his eyes shut. "Just give me time to wake up, okay? I can't- _I just yiffing CAN'T!_" The last was nearly screamed at the 'leader' of their little trio; causing said blue-furred prince to involuntarily pull back by a few inches.

Sonic's ears again fell back, even his tail drooped a bit. This was the first time he had ever seen Manic like this. That look that had been in those bright golden eyes was almost… cold, panicked, enraged. It was the complete antithesis of everything he had learned to expect from him. The blue hedgehog let out a faint sigh, though whether it was out of frustration or something else would have been impossible to know except for those with the gift Manic had. Wordlessly he moved back to the chair he'd been previously occupying. Not another word drifted between the two of them for some time, and Sonic slowly began to nod off. However this was not the case with Manic: he was wide awake and had no intention of falling asleep any time soon.

--

No one, not even Knuckles was aware that Manic had left. The black denim vest and twin daggers he bore made it evident enough as to his mindset. Most of the time when he hunted he wouldn't do so when he had recently had an attack of empathy. Such attacks left him susceptible to moments of weakness; but he knew that if he waited, the child whose mind he had briefly shared would very likely die. That was something he _could not_ allow.

Though he tried not to show it as he prowled through the streets every nerve was on edge. His quills were bristling both in anticipation and fear- fear left over from the mind he had shared. He didn't bother sweeping the area with his mind, Manic was still too mentally fragile for that; and it helped that he _knew_ where to go. Such total immersion in a different mind as the thief-prince had recently experienced gave him the directions and landmarks that other mind was familiar with. He knew the graffiti and buildings he'd barely glanced over before. He knew them like the streets of his own 'hometown'.

As he came to the house the child lived in Manic could feel his heart-rate skyrocket and his breathing speed up. The fear racing through his mind, the fear that wasn't his, was screaming for him to come to a halt and run the other way as fast as he could. Manic hadn't been this afraid since Tahl's death. Every step toward the house was a struggle, an internal fight between the sheer terror raking through his mind and the strong desire to end another's suffering.

Just as he reached the door and was about ready to turn the knob to slip in, he hesitated. The child's fear had Manic quaking and shivering so much that it was amazing his quills weren't rattling together. Images of the things the kid had suffered flickered through his thoughts at an alarming rate. It was almost impossible for him to even think of going inside- and then suddenly everything became clear. _'What would Qet say if he saw me like this? Or Farrel? Or…Tahl!'_ The words that he knew, that he had heard over and over so often that he could never forget their sound or intonation, snapped into focus.

"_Poor little Klepto can't even bring down a big bad like this? How pathetic!"_ Echoes of Qet's occasionally condescending tone grated on his conscience.

"_Just do what you know to be right Manic. If anybody's got the right sort of judgment for that it's you- so trust your heart."_ Paternal words of wisdom touched on the most stubborn and hard-headed part of the thief-prince's personality.

"_Goddess above Manic! Just get off of your damned tail and DO IT! Time's a-wasting and you don't have the luxury of waiting for a better opportunity. Now either move your green furry hide or I'll do it for you!"_ Tahl's voice snapped out an order that strengthened his will and made him force down the fear.

'_Alright, for you three, for this kid, I'll do it. Goddess above I wish that some things just never had to happen- but this _has to_. Thank you.'_ All indecision swept aside he gripped the door knob and slipped into the house. There would not be another Tahl; and he would make sure of it. _'Congratulations bastard, I'm hunting you down,'_ and with that final thought he made a mental sweep of the house.

--

In all the time it took Kleptomaniac, from taking the kid away from the hell-hole to dropping him off with Qet for safety, the hedgehog was on autopilot. It hadn't been hard to convince the kid to come with him thankfully. Apparently the little feline had a touch of his own mental abilities- which was a fortunate thing because the yellow-eyed prince didn't think he would have been able to try to convince the kid that he'd be safe. Slipping back into the van unnoticed was just as easy as it ever was, even if the sun was just starting to come up.

It was only when he got into the shower, the bathroom door locked as usual, that he allowed his self-control to falter. Leaning against the wall as the water hit him, a tan furry hand went to his eyes in perfect timing with the first shudder to wrack his body. Manic's breathing hitched, trying as he was to bite back the signs of belated panic that had finally been given room in his mind to unhinge. The thief-prince had no idea when the tears started coming, but he knew they were fully present by the time he had slid down the wall to sit in a curled position in the tub.

He bit back the screams, tried to slow his breathing, but he couldn't stop the tears. Shivers raced up and down his spine, the water saturating his quills being the only thing to prevent them from rattling together. When killing the monster, the so-called _father_ of the kitten he'd saved, it had been hard at moments not to cringe from him… to remember that _he_ was the stronger of the two of them. That monster saw the occasional flashes of fear in Kleptomaniac's brilliant golden yellow eyes and he played upon that fear.

Kleptomaniac had gone in there knowing that his weaknesses were far too strong, and the bastard had recognized it- like he recognized it in his 'adoptive son'. Facing him had been like delving into Tahl's nightmares before she committed suicide; it had left Manic wanting to curl up on the floor holding onto his head while screaming in complete and utter terror. The only solution had been to shut down and go into autopilot fight-or-flight mode. Manic had become almost everything Kleptomaniac was reputed to be: an unstoppable demon out for vengeance.

Yet that fear, that panic hadn't stopped him at just killing the bastard. It was not enough that only Manic and the kid he had saved should know what the monster had been; the entire world had to know. After having dropped the kitten off with Qet he had gone back and carved the word 'MONSTER' on the dead lynx's forehead. Riffling through everything had been quick and easy, and not surprisingly the bastard had had pictures of some of the things he'd done: the lynx's own personal dark room explained why no one had gone after him before. Perhaps in the cruelest and coldest twist of revenge that Kleptomaniac played out, the hedgehog had taped up _every_ picture the bastard had had. The walls of the house had been practically papered with them and only one spot had been left bare… the spot where Manic had carved: "So comes fitting justice to the worst in the world."

Recalling it, thinking of it made him curl into himself even tighter as he shuddered in the firm mental grip of terror and betrayal-that-was-not-his-own. He felt sick, but his stomach had nothing left in it to get rid of. Tears cascaded and blended into the water drenching his bare furry form regardless of how he tried to fight them back. The remnants of the kitten's thoughts blended into memories of Tahl's thoughts of Tahl's nightmares of Tahl's torment on that night of the woman's torment of others' torment of Tahl's suicide of her decision to die of the last bit of her hanging around when Manic found her cut up and impaled in her room of her goodbye and fear that Manic's empathy gripped onto and wouldn't let go for three months after she was gone. The green hedgehog broke down with only the rush of the water to cover his agonized sobs.

--

When Sonia woke and she walked into the front of the van to find Sonic asleep and Manic not-there, her first thought was panic. Darting outside she saw (with some relief) that Knuckles was on top of the van; either meditating or dozing, she couldn't be sure which. That meant that Manic _had_ to be the one in the shower; it was the only possibility as to where he could be if he hadn't somehow slipped away. Heading back inside, she made her way over to the bathroom door. At first she was tempted to just open the door (she had long since learned Manic had almost no shame); but then thought better of it and simply placed an ear against the door.

Of course there was the overbearing noise of the water, but there was something else. Was that… Was her brother _crying_?! Staring incredulously with wide red eyes Sonia couldn't believe her ears. He never- well okay, he did cry from time to time, he was _extremely_ passionate about almost anything he held in high regard and she knew this- but he never cried _like this_. It was almost… heart wrenching. It made her think of people that were so broken down that they completely succumbed to despair. That thought was more than a little troubling.

Knocking hesitantly on the door Sonia almost had a hard time getting her voice to a volume where she knew he'd be able to hear her. "Manic… Are you okay?" Silence and rushing water were all that greeted her for the first few minutes. When Manic was finally able to choke out a response his voice sounded ragged and worn, almost hoarse. How long had he been like that?

"Y-yeah, I'll be okay. I'm just… Could ya just give me a bit? I- I'll be out soon."

Sonia frowned and gently tested the knob only to find the door locked. As of late Manic's habit of locking doors was beginning to concern her a bit more than usual. When he was carefree and didn't care who saw what he almost never locked any doors. It was only when he was annoyed and/or wanted to hide something that he did so. It seemed like he was doing that a lot lately. She silently waited, listening as the water came to an almost squealing stop and the only sound left was Manic's ragged breathing.

Minutes ticked by in a seemingly endless eternity. Finally the door clicked with the lock's release, slowly swinging inward a moment later. There stood Manic, wrapped in a towel and looking the most emotionally exhausted Sonia had _ever_ seen him. Yellow eyes met her concerned gaze and then slid away. "I'm okay Sonia," he stated weakly. She frowned, her ears flicking back far enough so as to almost bury themselves in her quills in an unconscious mirroring of Sonic. Wordlessly she went to hug him; and was shocked as he flinched away.

"Manic?" Her brother hated the tremor he heard in her voice, and he hated that as with Sonic, he had been the one to put it there.

"I-I'll be okay. I'm still just a little… freaked out. N-nightmares an' all that, you know?" The thief-prince tried to laugh, tried weakly to shrug off his feeble emotional state for his sister's sake. He wanted to comfort her, reassure her, but he couldn't touch her without feeling every small flicker of emotion rampaging through her mind. He couldn't come in contact with one of the two people he desperately wanted to hug without seeing every image their minds would conjure up. It had been different when Farrel was around: he had been a calm mind and knew what was going on. This was the first time Manic had had an attack of empathy around his siblings and he didn't know what to do.

Letting out a sigh he stepped forward to pass his sister and spoke just one sentence; knowing that it wouldn't be enough to satisfy Sonia by any stretch of the imagination. "Look, I need to get some rest, so I'll talk at ya later." For the first time as she watched Manic walk back to the couch to crash, Sonia felt as if _he_ rather than Sonic had been the one to leave the others behind.

II

II

II

II Fira: Here's the button, so push it already!

II Manic: -sarcastic- Oooo, let's find out what happens next!

V Fira: -.-; Shut up.


	5. The Hunt

Disclaimer: I don't own Manic, Sonic, Sonia, Knux, Bartleby or any of the rest. I _do_ however own Qet, Sabbat, and the creepy psychopath known as Gehmeh. Therefore, no sue I, and if you think of ever using my characters, _ask and let me know._

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter five already! And it hasn't taken me until _next month_. In any case, things are getting a little darker (again), mainly due to a certain psychopath. If anyone's curious, yes her name actually means something. Ask if you want to know. Since I've pretty much got spraint worth saying for now- onto the reviews!

Manic the hedeghog- Well here's the latest chapter; and I hope you enjoy! Wasn't too long of a wait, was it?

Sammythehedghog- Glad you like. Manic's weirdness is gonna kick up a few notches too.

RitaLee16- I can sympathize with being empathic since I am too. Not enough to pick up nightmares or images, but emotions come in loud and clear. I kind of figured that there had to be a penalty for being that mentally powerful; ergo his attack of empathy. Hope you enjoy where this goes next! n.n

Shelby the Hedgehog- -cackles maniacally- Oh it's getting deeper and deeper. To say the least I've made things even _more_ complicated for our favorite little thief.

ManicFanFicHunter- I've done one better, and trust me when I say I have "plans" for this demented story of mine. Glad that I 'helped' your interest in Manic. Hope you like where I took it. n.n

ManicHERO/?- You asked for it, here it is. Chapter 5 in its entirety. I don't know about suicide, but Manic's definitely getting himself in deep this time around.

Fira: Now that that's all out of the way, read, enjoy, review. Comments are always appreciated and give the caushog warm fuzzies. n.n

Manic: O.o …Fira, anybody ever told you that you're a freak?

Fira: -.-; Shut up. Please review!

--

Bartleby paced his study with distinct unease. Alexandre was dead and his foster-son missing. All in all it didn't look good. The moment he had gotten the news of the lynx's death, Bartleby froze. Who could have killed him? Who could have killed his long-time friend without a second thought? That of course wasn't the most disturbing part of it; far from it. In truth what was the most disturbing was the _way_ the lynx had died. Blood strewn all over the mansion, horrid pictures tacked up all over the walls, the _things_- the messages- that had been left behind… All of it paled in comparison to the state of the lynx's body.

Bones had been laid bare or just simply broken as if a tank had run over select parts of him. Alexandre's hips had been completely shattered, ground to almost nothing more than dust. It was horrific in the least; but it was almost impossible to comprehend everything that had been done to his former-friend, and realize that whoever had done it had carved the word "monster" onto the feline's forehead. That knowledge enraged Bartleby and at the same time had him in borderline hysterics. Few of Bartleby's friends were of the caliber to be feared on the streets in regards to their fighting prowess: Alexandre had been one of them.

To know that someone had _quite deliberately_ hunted him down and killed him made the poodle's blood boil. Now Bartleby wasn't necessarily evil per se, but he most certainly wasn't the most outstanding character on all of Mobius. To survive in Robotnik's regime one couldn't afford to be _too_ up-standing and righteous. Those that were swiftly met their deaths or worse. So in his defense he had merely resorted to survival tactics. He turned a blind eye to many a thing; acting as though the most atrocious of acts in the world didn't exist just so long as he didn't fully acknowledge it.

This however, he could not turn a blind eye to. If it had been some ruffian or street urchin he could have easily brushed off the injury to the other with barely the bat of an eye. That it had been _his_ friend, _his_ compatriot, and a fellow nobleman that had suffered in such a way was what made the incident unforgivable. It wasn't often that Bartleby would contemplate interacting with less than savory folk; but in this instance he felt it necessary to employ someone to find Alexandre's killer… and eliminate them.

Glancing to the door as a maid paced past the door of his study, Bartleby spoke to get her attention. "Marietta-"

Stopping in her circuit the part-fox met his gaze respectfully. "Sir?" she politely asked.

"Call Lord Robotnik and inform him that I would like to speak with him of some personal matters," he replied evenly.

Keeping the flicker of a frown from her face she nodded. "Anything else sir?"

"That will be all." Bowing gracefully the maid then scurried off to her assigned task. Bartleby couldn't keep the coldly smug look from his face; soon whoever had killed Alexandre would be at his mercy.

--

Robotnik cast Bartleby a baleful look over the vid-phone. He didn't much enjoy being pestered by the nobles unless it was about something worth his while- which the poodle quite steadfastly insisted it was. "What, Master Condammer, is so important that you find it necessary to contact me?" the overlord growled almost contemptuously.

Bartleby's expression was grim as he spoke. In a sense he was playing with fire by choosing to speak with the human. In his mind it was worth the risk. "I'm certain, Lord Robotnik, that you're aware of the peculiar deaths that have been occurring? Of both the anonymous hedgehog and Alexandre?"

"Quite," was the gruff response.

"I have reason to believe that whoever has been responsible for these acts may be a threat to your rule. As such I request that I might be given the contact information of, ah… various _reputable_ persons whom might be able to track down this upstart and eliminate him."

The human was silent as he pondered over the request. There was a threat to his rule that _wasn't_ the resistance or those three royal pains? Not really surprising then that this information piqued his curiosity. "Just who might be such a threat that you feel the need to contract an assassin to dispose of him?"

Bartleby cringed slightly at the crude, though accurate, term used to describe the sort of person he was looking for. "I- I don't know precisely my lord; but after having reviewed both incidents I have been led to the conclusion that the murderer in both cases is very likely the same person."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Robotnik stated in a somewhat bored tone, "Master Bartleby Condammer, I find it very hard to believe anyone might be a threat unless I know who I might be dealing with. So unless you have some useful information that you're holding back, then clearly this conversation is not worth my time."

"W-wait! Wait, wait, wait- Lord Robotnik," the poodle sputtered desperately on seeing the human's hand hovering over the control pad. Clearly he had to come up with some name to appease the other, or the reason for his call would be completely thwarted. Taking a wild stab, and hoping that what he was going to say would elicit the response he was hoping for, Bartleby spoke. "I can't be _entirely_ certain as to who might be responsible for these deaths; but there is a peculiar rumor floating around as to who it might be. Of course you know the nature of peasant gossip, but I believe that this particular rumor might have some truth to it."

"And?" Despite his slightly bored demeanor Robotnik was thoroughly intrigued. _'Sometimes getting information from these nobles is like pulling teeth.'_

Mustering up as much sincerity as he could, Bartleby bluntly stated, "There's talk that the person responsible is known as 'Kleptomaniac'."

_That_ had Robotnik's complete attention. He'd heard word of this peculiar person from many of his 'less reputable' followers for at least a good year and a half. Since the first time he had heard of Kleptomaniac's reputation, Robotnik had had his underlings searching high and low for the so-called 'demon'. To have someone of such capabilities in his employ… For a brief while that had been his fondest dream. That was before he got the letter, supposedly from Kleptomaniac himself that basically amounted to: _'Thanks, but you can go screw yourself,'_ admittedly in much more polite terms. To say that he had been furious would have been an understatement. This however, this made him even more enraged at the as-yet unknown being. "Kleptomaniac you say? Have you any proof?"

Bartleby refrained from smirking, to do so would sabotage his efforts at that moment. "I have no concrete proof, but I believe that whoever is employed to deal with the killer will be able to find out if it is indeed Kleptomaniac."

"Indeed," Robotnik murmured, pondering the thought over. It didn't take him long to reach a decision; if he was lucky he might have Kleptomaniac working for him yet. "Very well Master Condammer, an assassin will be hired on to deal with the upstart. However, _I_ will deal with the employ and contract for this situation. The assassin will be notified to keep you informed, but will be under _my_ contract- so that you might keep your hands clean of all this nasty un-pleasantry." The grin on Robotnik's face was the sort that could give someone nightmares.

Bartleby wasn't entirely happy with that arrangement, but he had no doubt it was the best he was going to get under the circumstances. "Thank you lord Robotnik. It's been a pleasure, as always."

"I'm certain," Robotnik's tone was almost sadistically gleeful as he cut off the call. Soon, soon he would have Kleptomaniac in his grasp- and then he could finally be rid of those damned hedgehogs!

--

Three days of non-stop questioning looks; three days of Manic turning away from those looks and remaining silent. He was almost constantly watched now- if not by his sister, then his brother; if not his brother, then the Guardian. It was getting to be a bit much, but nothing he could think of would help him avoid it. He wouldn't talk about his 'fit', he wouldn't talk about his breakdown in the shower, he wouldn't even talk about why he was still sensitive about being touched. Not being able to sneak out was almost driving Manic nuts. It wasn't as if he hadn't _earned_ that attention with his behavior, but it was still far beyond annoying.

The other three watched him morning, noon and night. If the other two were sleeping, then the third was awake- _at all times_. Under that kind of pressure and feeling the constant suspicion of the others the thief-prince had a hard time keeping up his façade. Several times it slipped just slightly- fortunately only in body language. It didn't go as unnoticed as he would have preferred however. Perceptive as ever, Knuckles spotted the annoyed glances that contained the simmering temper. The echidna waited until they had a moment alone to confront him.

"We all know you're hiding something," the echidna calmly stated as he leaned against Manic's doorjamb. Once again Manic was attempting to bang the twisted metal that was his room's floor back into a recognizable form. It was about the fiftieth time he'd made the attempt, but that hadn't stopped him from going back and trying again. Glancing up from the floor at the echidna's statement the green hedgehog shot him a glare, not even bothering to reply. "Look, all your brother and sister want is to know you're okay. You won't talk about anything remotely relating to why you were out there that night, and naturally that makes them worry even more. You'd think a triplet could talk candidly with their siblings…"

"No one asked you dude, so just butt out," Manic finally snapped. He was not in the mood to deal with a nosey echidna, no matter how well meaning he was. It didn't help that Knuckles viewed his stubborn refusal to talk as a slight challenge; which in turn made the echidna determined to out-stubborn him.

Knuckles raised both eyebrows, almost in contempt. "Funny, I thought Sonic and Sonia _did_ ask me."

"Well I _sure as hell_ didn't! Don't you have some emeralds to protect or something?" Manic growled, not bothering to hide his frustration in the slightest, even if the attack was a bit under-handed. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?!"

"Maybe if you'd tell somebody what you were doing out there that night and why you don't want to talk about Kleptomaniac, we would leave you alone. Instead you've been hiding and refusing to talk. Have any idea what that makes you look like?" The Guardian's tone was nonchalant and matter-of-fact. Almost as if the situation didn't really concern him. Manic knew better.

Yellow eyes narrowed. "Dude, _it's nobody's business_. I've been _trying_ to make that clear for a _while_ now!"

"By acting like an idiot and refusing to talk? What a joke," the red-furred echidna taunted. His suspicions about Manic had been growing by the day, and he was beginning to think that maybe, if he baited the hedgehog just right, that like Sonic the thief-prince would lash out with honesty. "Really, I'm beginning to think that you've been lying all along. Maybe you're smarter then you've been letting on- hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you are."

Green quills bristled as the not-so-subtle hint hit home. "It… is… none… of… your… damn… business, _dude_." The flash of fang was enough to tell Knuckles that maybe he was on the right track. What he didn't expect was how clever Manic actually was. As Manic slowly stood it became plain how much like a coiled spring the hedgehog was; almost exactly like his brother. Stalking over until he was almost toe-to-toe with Knuckles the thief-prince stopped and gave a glare that sent a chill down the Guardian's spine. "I'm not hiding any more than I need to dude. Has it ever occurred to you _or _my sibsthat I'm keeping my trap shut for _their_ safety?!"

Knuckles raised both eyebrows. "Really? Then why don't you tell Sonic or Sonia that?"

"I don't tell anybody that because everyone is a prying pain-in-the-ass! I say _one thing_ about anything that could get anybody killed, and _they'd wanna know more_!! So you know what? Yiff that! Nothing doin', not talkin', thank you an' good yiffing night!" Manic firmly pushed the echidna away from the door and slammed it in his flabbergasted face.

True, the echidna had expected a blow-up, but not one so carefully controlled as to give away the absolute bare minimum of information possible. Clearly Manic had more self-control than Knuckles would have expected. Casting a grim violet glance as the locked door, he shook his head. The fact that Manic was more emotionally in control than Sonic troubled him- unlike Sonic, Knuckles didn't know how to handle someone who could so creatively prevent others from getting information. As he turned away from the door to go update the other royal siblings he muttered under his breath, "More stubborn than Sonic… Hell, more stubborn than Vector on his worst day…"

--

The assassin sat across from Bartleby, a vague expression of amusement playing across her face. Leaning forward to rest her chin on her hands she gave a wicked grin that showed off her sharp and pointed teeth. "So, Robotnik informs me that I'm to keep you notified of my progress. I take it that _you_ were the one to initially require my… services? Monsieur Condammer?"

Bartleby bit back a nervous gulp as he eyed the reptile and nodded. She was quite sleek as opposed to the unfounded stereotype of bulky and slow reptiles. To be honest he couldn't be precisely sure what species she was, or if she was a peculiar crossbreed; regardless, whatever she was it had to be carnivorous. If her appearance was anything to judge by then she was probably part alligator or crocodile; but the way she had just _appeared_ in his study suggested that she might have some chameleon ancestry as well. Bartleby Condammer didn't bother commenting on any of it.

"Indeed, I was the first to start, ah… looking into having someone pursue this 'hunt'," he affirmed cautiously. Try as he might the poodle could not seem to prevent his eyes from straying to the woman's pointed teeth and wickedly sharp hand-claws. Those claws, which were more talon than claw-like really, he could all too easily envision circling around someone's throat… Before the train of thought could get any further than that Bartleby tamped it down. There were some things that just weren't suitable for a noble to even contemplate.

The assassin's grin grew just the slightest touch broader as she tried not to laugh at how on edge her 'host' was. "Alright, knowing that I have to ask you this: what would you want done if the three royals somehow get involved with this situation? It isn't outside the realm of possibility after all. Besides, Kleptomaniac's pretty well known of to those that count- if that is who your killer is. I wouldn't put it past those three to _not _get involved somehow."

Bartleby's gaze hardened by just the slightest touch, not that it remotely intimidated her in any way. If anything it made her even more tempted to laugh at this puffed-up pissant. The poodle considered the question seriously for a few moments. What _would_ he want to happen if his fiancée and her brothers got involved? True, he didn't particularly care for either of her disgraceful siblings, but what of Sonia? There had to be a way to twist this thing so that no matter what Sonia would view Bartleby as having tried his hardest for her sake. Looking up to meet those fiery orange eyes, the noble spoke with firm resolve. "If they get involved I want the princess to come to me. Of the other two… do as you see fit. I don't particularly care _what_ happens to them. Consider it a sort of payment if you will."

The reptile finally did laugh, slapping her knee in the process. "Damn Condammer, you have got one hell of a spine! Whatever I see fit with the brothers if they get involved? Hell- that's a better payment than anything Robotnik threw my way!" Gripping the poodle's hand in a firm handshake the assassin gave a smile that sent chills down Bartleby's spine. "You've got yourself a deal Monsieur Condammer; I get the brothers, you get the princess- plus the first wave of any info I get."

"Th-thank you," Bartleby stammered. Though he wouldn't voice it, he could feel the strength in the woman's taloned hand and that startling strength almost made him feel sorry for anybody that got in her way.

--

On the roof, just above the window where the conversation had been taking place, Qet's eyes were wide. He'd heard the entire exchange courtesy of perching on the roof to take an inventory of everything he ripped off of Bartleby's estate less than twenty minutes prior. With the first few words spoken he hadn't thought much of it- until he heard mention of the 'hunt' and Kleptomaniac's name. Packing his loot into a bag Qetzenthala muttered various invectives under his breath as he tried to hurry. Manic had to know, and damned quick, what was going on.

Dropping a vase by accident as he struggled to cram his bag, Qet froze and prayed that the noise of the vase colliding with the roof hadn't made enough noise to attract attention. When there wasn't any indication from below that he'd been heard and that no one was rushing up the stairs to investigate the source of the sound; the pea-hawk let out a quiet sigh of relief. Retrieving the vase he stuffed it into his bag and then took a running leap from the roof to glide to the next as he snapped out his wings.

With all that he had heard, and with everything that he had stolen, Qet felt it was a better idea to lay low rather than soaring through the sky that night. Five minutes after he took off the assassin suddenly became visible and inhaled. The lingering scent of the pea-hawk was enough to confirm what she had suspected: there had been an eaves-dropper. Narrowing her eyes she leapt to the next roof and inhaled- and grinned. _'Fool left a trail.'_

--

Sonic and Sonia sat frowning after having heard what Knuckles had to tell them. The increasing peculiarities about their brother had them concerned. What could possibly be so dangerous that Manic would completely refuse to talk to anybody about? Before Sonic could so much as open his mouth to voice his thoughts on the matter there was a sudden banging on the van's door; causing all three to jump.

The three gave each other a bewildered look, and the look only increased with the yell from outside. "MANIC! Manic, I need to talk to you NOW! As in _yesterday!_" Getting to his feet to answer the door, Sonic was startled to see Manic reach it before him.

Wrenching the van door open, all four occupants were met with the sight of an exhausted blue and purple bird with a bag at his feet. Knuckles couldn't help but feel a jolt of familiarity on seeing the bird- he was one of the very same that Manic had turned away on the first day of the hunt for Kleptomaniac. "Dude, Qet what-"

"No time to explain here," the bird snapped before seizing the green hedgehog by the vest and physically dragging him out of the van. Looking to the other royal siblings and the Guardian, Qet stated, "You'll excuse us. I need to borrow him for a moment." Slamming the van door before a word could be gotten out he tugged on his friend again. "We need to talk in private, _now_." Taking the hint, Manic scooped up the pea-hawk and his bag and ran; fast enough to be gone within seconds, but slow enough to not create a sonic boom.

When the van door swung back open the view was of an empty street, and there was no sign of either thief. Sonic turned back to his sister and friend with an expression akin to worry on his face. "Who the hell was that?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I have no idea, but clearly Manic knows him. This does put a damper on our keeping an eye on your brother though…"

"_Damn it!_" And for once Sonia didn't trouble herself with telling her brother not to curse.

--

Dropping into a chair Qet let out a rattled breath. Though he had started out roof-jumping fairly slow he had felt a tinge of panic creep into his mind; just the smallest warning that spurred him to go as fast as he could manage to reach his friend. His muscles were quivering from how hard he had pushed himself, and it showed in the way his feathers shivered with each breath. It had been a relief to have Manic take care of the speed for once, instead of trying to push himself farther.

Manic plunked himself down in a seat across from the pea-hawk. The place was one of their favorite hide-aways; it was run-down, quiet, and barely worth a second glance. Naturally the shoddy little modified alley-hut was a place that Manic and Qet's particular 'family' of thieves gravitated toward. It was the perfect place for private conversations such as this. Meeting Qetzenthala's dark silver gaze the green hedgehog asked without the slightest trace of his false accent, "So what's so bad that you had to show up and nearly beat my door down?"

"Assassin," Qet snapped succinctly. "Being paid by Beetle-Buzz and Robo-Ass to hunt your green furry hide."

Green ears flicked back and yellow eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"That's not the worst of it," the pea-hawk growled, grinding his beak in the process. The myriad emotions of urgency, panic, and concern were rolling off the feathered mobian so thick that Manic almost felt like he could touch them. "Bartle-face arranged a situation, of course not knowing that you _are_ Kleptomaniac, that if you and your sibs get involved Sonia goes to him, and the assassin gets to do whatever she damn well pleases with you and your brother."

A fiery spark lit in Manic's golden eyes. "Does the assassin know who I am?"

"No, but she's on the trail of your last two kills. Never could do things low-key, could you?" The last was spoken with the slightest tinge of a playful taunt. Manic brushed it off rather than letting it get to him.

"I couldn't help it the last time. Recent attack of empathy."

Qet's head crest flattened, he knew what kind of bad news that was. "So the mind you snagged onto was Sabbat's… which is why you went after the lynx bastard." Manic silently nodded. "Yiffing hell… Knowing Bartle-bastard he went looking for someone to hunt you after the death of that lynx. And, knowing your luck, they were probably friends."

Manic grimly nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised. Any idea as to how long I might have before the assassin gets a clue?"

"No idea."

The air was silent between them for a moment as Manic pondered over the situation he'd gotten into. He hadn't liked Bartleby before; but now, more than ever, he had no intention of _ever_ letting the poodle even _touch_ his sister. The fact that an assassin was now on the hunt for 'Kleptomaniac' was by no means anything good either. He'd have to somehow convince his siblings to get out of dodge and escape to another part of the continent if he didn't want to have a scrape with the hunter. Guaranteed, there was only so long that someone _wouldn't_ put two and two together if they were hunting him- and then they'd figure out that they could use his family and friends against him. Manic could change many things about the way he acted and looked if he chose to; but he could never disguise his scent.

Making up his mind, Manic changed the topic- knowing that Qet would realize he was already plotting how to avoid a disaster. "So, the kid's name is Sabbat?"

Qet gave one of his peculiar beak-grins before replying. "Yeah, he's pretty smart and catches on quick. Even for as short a time as Sabbat's been with the group, he's improved a lot. I think his mental state's at least fifty percent better than it was when you first dropped him off. Though Arajia is making noises about our 'family' turning into an orphanage." Manic chuckled at the thought; the rat that had picked him up was a fine one to talk! As Qet bantered back and forth with the thief-prince he smiled, but internally he was thinking, _'Klepto, I hope you don't get hurt with this; and I hope you plan on doing your damnedest to get out of dodge.'_ From the fire he could see seething in those yellow eyes; Qetzenthala knew that at some point the hedgehog was probably going to go to war. He just hoped that Manic would survive.

--

She had seen everything, heard everything, and the grin on her currently invisible features nearly split her face in half. So the idiot prince was lying and was actually Kleptomaniac? This was too rich! The assassin remained silent, despite the temptation to chuckle. She hadn't expected the bird to go as fast as he had, and she most certainly hadn't expected Manic's burst of speed when the two of them departed the company of those in the van. Even so a trail was a trail, and with how keen her nose was it was almost impossible to miss.

Ah, but what to do with this touch of information? The reptile _knew_ better than to tell either of her employers _who_ Kleptomaniac was; it would take away at least half the fun she could have with this little situation. Of course she _could_ tell them for a definite that she knew Kleptomaniac had been involved with both deaths she was being paid to look into; even if she couldn't be certain about the first one. The dead hedgehog didn't matter much anyway, aside from the fact that he had been a spy for Robotnik. Not her concern, and sure as hell not her line of work.

Pondering over the hell she could put the triplet brothers through, especially Manic, was an amusing thought. However she knew that the moment Bartleby or Robotnik found out about Manic they would want him disposed of. That quite clearly interfered in her ideas of making both princes her personal 'toys'. True, the thought hadn't occurred to her before Bartleby mentioned that he didn't care for the brothers; but since then her mind had been running over all sorts of various scenarios: none of them pleasant for those she was thinking about. What to do, what to do…

The thought of just dropping in on the two thieves crossed her mind, but she brushed it hastily aside in favor of a better plan- one that was far more amusing in her mind's eye. How better to subdue the demon than take someone he cared about hostage? _Make_ him come to her in exchange for the other, maybe make him beg. If she played her cards right she might even be able to force him to his knees. As she pulled herself onto the roof of the building she'd been perched on, the assassin snickered quietly to herself, "Gehmeh, you are a genius."

--

When Manic came back to the van he was silent and grim. There would be questions, that was unavoidable at this point. What concerned him even more was the thought that he'd have to convince the others to get moving while not fully explaining what was going on. Knowing his brother and sister as well as he did, Manic knew that would be a task in and of itself. Taking a deep breath to calm himself the green hedgehog gripped the door handle and pulled the door open. Less than a second after he had done so Manic was met with three suspicious sets of eyes. His ears began to swivel back involuntarily under their scrutiny. "Um… I'm home?" His voice was tentative; he almost wished he could hit himself upside the head without getting any odd looks. _'Maybe I could get away with telling them in an hour or so…'_

"_What_ was that about?" Sonia growled, her bright red eyes burning with disapproval. Manic flinched before entering the van and closing the door- no need for the entire world to hear him getting screamed at by his sister. Glancing hopefully toward Sonic, the thief-prince shrank back a little from that hardened green gaze. Clearly his brother wasn't too happy with him either.

'_No point in even _trying_ to get any sympathy from Knux; he doesn't trust or believe me anyway.'_ Gulping nervously he tried to skirt along the wall to reach his room, only to have his route blocked off by said echidna. "What are you talkin' about?" he chanced lamely. He wanted to avoid the grilling he knew he was going to get, but he also knew that there was very little chance of that being remotely possible.

"Who was the bird and what was so urgent that he _had _to talk to you?" Sonic growled stonily. Manic felt a slight sinking feeling as he realized that his siblings were becoming increasingly tempted to use force to get him to talk. If he tried to escape at that moment, the chances of Sonic tackling him to the floor and sitting on him until he talked were roughly about… 100 percent.

Backing into a wall the thief-prince couldn't help stumbling over his words in his panic to think up some way of relaying the necessary information while leaving everything else out. "A-ano… Um… The bird? That's my friend Qet… umm…" Mentally he cursed himself at the slip of a japanese word, even if it was relatively stupid and unimportant. Sonia was _guaranteed_ to know what it was with her upbringing; and he had been giving the impression for a while now that he knew almost nothing about any other languages. It was a minor, but to his mind extremely notable, crack in his façade.

Knuckles pounced on mention of the pea-hawk before Manic even had time to think. "Oh he's your friend is he? Then by all means, explain why you turned him away on the first day I joined the search for Kleptomaniac." This was news to both Sonic and Sonia, and after their initial surprise they fixed their brother with a disapproving glare. At Manic's silence, as the hedgehog's jaw worked, Knuckles let out a derisive snort. "You didn't want anyone here knowing that you knew him. Why? I've got a suspicion that it had to do with Kleptomaniac. I think you know him, or at least know of him, and so does he otherwise you wouldn't have turned him away that time. Which of course begs the question as to what was so drastic he had to nearly beat down the van door."

"Well Manic? Anything to say for yourself?" Sonia's tone was that of a stiff, and extremely pissed, princess.

Manic's expression became pained and he let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped. There was no use pretending anymore; he had to bluntly state facts as they were, at least inasmuch as he'd allow himself. Looking up from the floor to meet those three sets of hardened eyes, he couldn't help but feel like hell as he spoke- knowing the entire time that what he was saying would probably make him lose even more trust than he already had. "I… I'm sorry guys, but… I _can't_ tell you. I _can't_ tell you about that night… As for why Qet came here… He kinda eavesdropped. 'Botnik hired an assassin to go after us. Qet came to warn me and… Look, we just need to get the hell outta dodge, okay? Like, _NOW_."

Silence reigned in the hover-van for several minutes before Manic sighed and went to brush past Knuckles on his way to his room. Impulsively the echidna seized hold of the prince's upper arm, and was met with a golden look that chilled his blood. "I know what you're thinkin' dude," Manic growled as he firmly started prying the echidna's fingers from his arm, "an' trust me when I say that no matter how much you try to 'out-stubborn' me an' get me to talk, _you won't win_. I _told_ all three of you that I _can't_ tell you everything. Nothing, an' I mean _NOTHING_, is going to make me talk about spraint that if any of you knew it'd get you killed. _So let it yiffing go_."

Manic held the echidna's purple gaze firmly for a moment after releasing his hand; then turned and silently disappeared into his room without a glance to anybody else. Knuckles stared after him in shock, and became even more un-nerved when he realized his hands were shaking. Massaging his right hand the Guardian just barely managed to repress a shiver; Manic was stronger than he had ever thought, stronger than him. The hedgehog's hand had been firm, but gentle- even so, Knuckles had been more than able to feel some of the strength in those fingers. What shook him to the core was knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that, had Manic wished it, the green-furred hedgehog could have completely shattered his hand. For the first time in his life that he could recall, the Guardian had feared for his own physical well-being.

Turning to the remaining siblings Knuckles spoke, almost startled with how quietly his voice came out. "Your brother…" he was unable to complete the sentence aloud, but the thought was clear in his mind. _'Your brother scares me.'_ Somehow he was fairly certain the other two understood, and maybe felt the same by just the slightest bit. The echidna was almost beginning to wish he had never gotten involved.

--

Gehmeh waited carefully as the hedgehog took off. She patiently watched the bird as he recovered himself and got ready to take off. While the bird was fairly pretty, she knew he'd be too much trouble to kidnap and hold hostage. A fighter could always spot a fighter, or so the reptile had come to understand in her years as an assassin. As for the possibility of seizing hold of either of Manic's siblings… Sonic would have been far too much trouble, and Sonia would have been too cliché. Kidnapping a princess? '_Please_.' No, she had it mind to get a hold of someone who _couldn't_ fight back- and the ticket to that perfect victim was this bird.

As the part-hawk wandered the streets she trailed after him from above; always keeping him in her sights. Sooner or later he had to go some sort of base, and that was where she would strike. The excitement of executing her plan was almost enough to disrupt her camouflage. Fortunately she knew how to keep a firm hand on her emotions when she was on such hunts. A scar across her tail was reason enough to have learned that valuable lesson.

When she saw the feathered pretty boy disappear into a suitable hide-out a slight smirk played across her invisible features. Creeping closer by painstakingly climbing down the vertical wall to reach about roof-height she listened carefully. When she heard the voices within her smirk grew into a wicked grin and she licked a fang. Oh yes indeed, if Gehmeh pulled this off she'd force Kleptomaniac to her beck and call. And no one would have to fear anyone who had almost all free will beaten out of them, now would they? It wouldn't really matter what Robotnik and Bartleby wanted; she could always claim she had killed Kleptomaniac and keep Manic as hers. Of course the person she was planning on seizing might not sway Sonic, but she was confident that if she could trick the thief-prince into her hands then she could trick the hero into following his brother. Licking a talon in a decidedly lewd manner, Gehmeh continued her descent. _'Time to get my trump card.'_

--

Manic was gratefully aware of the van moving to change location, even as he sat on his bed cursing himself for an idiot. _'Congrats Hedgehog, you screwed up royally tonight! Just like you've been yiffing everything up ever since that damn nightmare. Goddess above… Tahl would throttle me if she were still alive.' _Letting out a sigh he leaned back against the wall. He was going to be just as watched as he had been before Qetzenthala showed up just an hour earlier; maybe even more so. There would be no hint of Kleptomaniac sneaking out to exact his revenge or just wander as he saw fit. As far as the thief-prince could tell it was very unlikely that he'd be allowed to leave the van without someone keeping an eye on him.

'_Yiffing hell… And I'm such an idiot that I've completely sabotaged what level of trust I _had _with my sibs.' _Pulling his knees up close to his chest he couldn't help thinking that he wanted everything to go back to the way it had been- simple and clear-cut. "Mom, wherever you are, you're probably gonna disown me," the thief prince murmured to himself as he dropped his forehead to his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. He wasn't surprised to feel hot tears of frustration trying to well up at the corners of his eyes. "I'm such a yiffing moron; I've probably lost what little family I've got."

On the other side of Manic's door Sonic sat against the wall and frowned. Just who was his brother really? And why, after a little over a year of swapping jokes, saving each other, and acting like close-knit sometimes-insane brothers, did he feel like he didn't know his brother anymore? _'Why can't things be like they used to be?'_ Instead he had to guard Manic's door like some kind of watch-dog. The knowledge made him feel sick. He was beginning to wish that the so-called 'spill' Manic had taken off of his hoverboard all those weeks ago had been just that. What was worse was that he knew Sonia felt the same way.

This state of estranged silence continued for several hours after Sonia had finally stopped the van before anything changed. Sonic sat by Manic's door, miserably pondering over the bizarre situation that his siblings and friend had gotten into; when suddenly the thief-prince's bedroom door swung open. Looking up to meet his brother's yellow gaze, Sonic was surprised to see the considering look in those eyes before Manic sat down- parking himself right next to the green-eyed hero. Before he could say anything Manic's head had dropped on to his shoulder with a mumbled, "Sorry I yiffed up."

Sonic stared incredulously at his brother for what felt like an eternity. When he did speak the words came out in a rush. "Sorry? _NOW_ you're sorry? The _hell_ Manic?! You just- …I don't know what you're hiding, I don't know what that fit of yours was; hell, I'm not sure I even actually _know_ you. Could you just…" Seeing Manic look as defeated as he did at that moment Sonic discontinued his tirade, glancing away without bothering to push the thief away. "Chaos damn it all."

Internally Manic's thoughts were roiling, curling and twisting back on themselves in an endless loop as Sonic's emotions and thoughts drifted in and out of focus for him. At the front of the van he knew Sonia was eavesdropping. Maybe she was hoping Sonic could get some information out of him on his own? Brushing it off, he thought hard on everything that had been happening. Letting out a sigh Manic spoke, his tone almost flat as though he expected to be yelled at. "Bro… I- look, I'm sorry that I can't tell you guys everything. I want to, but…"

"But what?" Sonic's tone was honestly curious, but contained the barest hint of a growl. Manic tried to repress a flinch.

"…I want you guys to be safe. I know stuff… Stuff that if either of you knew it'd get you killed. I don't want to see that." Sonic cast him a surreptitious glance, but remained silent so he could continue. "I don't want to see another Tahl," he muttered quietly.

"What _did_ happen to her? What was it you saw?" The hero's voice was devoid of any judgment. Perhaps if he could get Manic to talk about Tahl, he might get him to open up about some of the other things. The empty and haunted look that entered into Manic's eyes at those questions made Sonic feel as though the sky had just come crashing down around his ears.

The lack of accent in his brother's voice and the haunted tone completely threw him off. Sonic stared at him in dumb shock, his green eyes as wide as they could possibly get. "She was gang-raped… for a year, every night, she'd wake up screaming from nightmares of it. Every night… every _yiffing night_… I'd wake up and hear her screaming. That year was _hell_: Chaos-be-damned yiffing _HELL_. I was the only one who knew…" Manic's voice hitched as he choked back his emotions, trying not to scream as he thought everything through; remembering it all in complete detail. "I was the only one who knew every single detail of what happened to her. _I knew _when she started to give up, and I…"

The breath rattled in and out of Manic's lungs; it was as though he didn't even notice when Sonia crept back to find out what was going on. Knuckles adamantly stayed in the front of the van. "She came, warned me… I walked into her room the next day… She was _yiffing impaled_. She was more cut up and bloody than she was when… And she just looked at me and smiled. SHE YIFFING _SMILED-_ and said 'now I'll stop dreaming, now it'll stop and I won't have to remember anymore'."

Manic's laugh was damn near hysterical as Sonia dropped to her knees nearby. Both brother and sister were worried for their brother, but it was almost as if he didn't see them anymore. Like he was caught up in his own nightmare-world and couldn't break out of it. Frightened red eyes met equally disturbed green ones: What was wrong with Manic? What scared them more than anything else was when the tears started welling up in an uncontrolled flow- and Manic didn't seem to notice.

"I knew everything, I felt everything, _and I couldn't save her_. I felt every Chaos-damned thing she did, I knew what hell she went through, and I couldn't save her. I could have tried to heal her, I have those talents, and I did _nothing._"

"M-Manic?," Sonia hesitantly spoke, her voice quavering with every word. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly those yellow eyes snapped back into focus as he woke up to reality, the sorrow in them still plain to see. When he next spoke his false accent started slipping back into place, despite the level honesty he was maintaining. "That 'fit' of mine? There's a good reason for that. I never told either of you but I'm a-"

Manic got cut off as Knuckles yelled back, "We've got an emergency! You three might want to get up here right now!" The green hedgehog's eyes stared off into space for a moment, and then widened as he shot to his feet.

"Qet!" Sonic and Sonia stared at each other in shock as their brother darted to the front of the van. What had he been about to confess? As they headed to the front they were met with the sight of the bird they had seen earlier badly wounded and on their couch. Next to him was Manic, feverishly checking him over. Before a word was said by anybody he snapped out, "Sonic- get the first aid kit. Sonia, how much antiseptic do we have? For Goddess's sake, somebody get me something to stop the bleeding!" The others hesitated for only a moment as their eyes met. All at once the other three came to a unanimous, though silent decision and they became a flurry of activity at the thief's direction.

II

II

II There's the button,

II You know what to do,

II Please review. n.n

V T.T Or my muses will eat you.


	6. Confirmation

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Manic, or Sonic, or Sonia… or anybody actually created by the people who own SU or anything canon. I _do_ own Qetzenthala, Sabbat, and the psycho-creepy b-tch Gehmeh. Now that that's out of the way- don't freakin' sue me! T.T

Author's Note: We're officially on chapter 6, and this fic is beginning to wind down to its close. But not to worry! While this fic is likely going to end next chapter, I've got a follow-up in the works that'll actually tie off a few loose-ends… And throw in the Chaotix. n.n Yeah, I think it'll be cool. Also, in regards to Bartleby being a mink I have just this to say; 1) as far as I know the cartoon never really specified, 2) he's like the Antoine of SU- nobody can really pin down _exactly_ what he is by just looking at him, and 3) since I never knew he was a mink, and since I've never heard of a mink having curly/wavy hair, he's gonna be stuck as a poodle for this fic-verse. Who knows? Maybe he had some really weird ancestors and he's a poodle-mink-thing. If you don't like him being a poodle, just mentally substitute the word with 'mink'. No harm, no foul. On to the reviews!

Yami Kaiyoh- That's okay. You reviewed this last time anyway. n.n I'm sure Manic appreciates the sympathy.

Manic: Are you kidding? I need all the sympathy I can get at this point! I don't mind hugs!

Fira: Yeah… Nice plushie by the way. n.n Now about the names- Marietta actually came from the thought of "What's a really pretty-sounding and upper-class-ish kind of name?" Sadly that was my actual train of thought. I can't really imagine Bartleby having anybody working for him that was named Betsy-Lou Bambi (just as an example). The last name I came up with for Bartleby, 'Condammer', was due to me typing in the word 'doom' and having the computer alter it into French. I might have tweaked with it a little bit too, I can't remember. Not very original of me, but it seemed to fit considering that it's old Bartle-face's decision that ultimately reveals Manic to his sibs. Now for the last name you mentioned, that of Gehmeh. That's actually based off of two different words in this fictional language I'm in the process of creating; those words being _gehm'korrr_ (cold) and _nadthes_ or _eh_ (heart). So therefore Gehm Eh means Cold Heart. Weird, but accurate, wouldn't you think?

Shelby the Hedgehog- Yup. I'm evil. I had to be. –grin- It's good for the story though. Keeps it interesting. As for 'When the Higurashi Cry'… O.o; You have managed a reference I'm not familiar with. Not that that's hard to manage…

Manic the hedeghog- -shrugs- What can I say? Things are getting more intense so I had to leave people hanging. As the saying goes, "If you want a story to be liked, leave the people wanting more".

Okami Princess- -laughs- You asked for an update, you got it! Thanks for the fav by the way.

Kiki- n.n I'm glad you like.

ManicFanFicHunter- -laughs maniacally- Oh you shall see my friend! Manic revealing himself… Let's just say there's a reason this chapter is titled 'Confirmation', shall we? And no, I don't intend to let this story line die off next chapter. There will be a follow-up! …Eventually.

Sammythehedgehog- Glad you like, as for how I do it… I suffer from author's curse. You know, the one where your characters are in your head commenting? And saying stuff like, "If I was in that situation I'd do _this!_" or "I wouldn't do _that!_" O.o;;; Or maybe I just sound crazy like that…

ManicHERO/?- Oh hell yes, and it's going to get worse for our favorite green-furry thief. n.n

Fira: All that's left to say is that _this_ chapter is the biggest reason why this fic is rated M, so be prepared for blood and a little gore. As ever and always, enjoy the fic and review.

--

Once Manic had done all that was possible for his friend, he sat back in silence by the couch. By this point his hands were coated in blood and he had been forced to pluck a few feathers; but it seemed as though he didn't particularly care too much. Rolling her eyes, Sonia walked over to her brother with a rag and, seizing hold of a hand, began scrubbing the blood out of his fur. At his silent questioning glance she snorted at him in an undignified, Sonic-esque, and very un-ladylike manner, "Sometimes I think that if Sonic and I weren't around to keep an eye on you, then you wouldn't take care of yourself."

Manic stared at her in something akin to shock, and then laughed. "Sis… Goddess above, you seriously have no idea how much I love you." She arched a brow as she finished the one hand and then seized the other.

"Really? Then do you mind enlightening any of us here as to how you know him?" The princess nodded toward the unconscious bird as she spoke, keeping in mind to harass her brother about the earlier topic later. Sonic had quite obviously put it out of his mind for the time being, but she wouldn't.

The thief-prince had enough sense to look sheepish as Sonia scrubbed particularly hard on one knuckle. "Well… He's kinda… sorta… one of the peeps I grew up with. Farrel had a bad habit of adopting peeps, and… well… Qet's the closest I'm ever gonna get to a best friend. To be honest he kinda reminds me of Knux," a chuckle accompanied that statement, "only more of a pain." Knuckles arched a brow at that comment, making no other response as he still felt wary around the green-furred prince.

It turned out that Knuckles didn't have to say what was on his mind; Sonic did it for him. "So, if he's your best friend why did you turn him away that one time?"

An unenthused sigh emanated from Manic. "As I said before, it's seriously bad news if anybody hears a person snooping around for Kleptomaniac. It's likely to get them killed just to make him suffer. The other thing is… Hell, I can't believe I'm saying this… He knows the same sort of dangerous things I do. Qet may be a damn good actor, but I didn't want to take the chance that he'd unwittingly spill the beans; possibly putting you guys' lives in danger in the process."

"What kind of dangerous things?" Sonic asked.

Yellow eyes became guarded and he shrank back a little. "Sorry dude, can't tell you that. I don't want you dying, so I'm not telling you."

"And what, pray tell, makes you so certain that we'd get killed," Sonia grumbled archly, her grip on his hand unconsciously tightening and causing him to wince.

Two ears, both pierced and non, swiveled back. "Nobles," was all he bothered saying, as if it were explanation enough regardless of the fact that he knew it wasn't. Seeing the hard look his sister gave him, he gave her an equally blunt stare.

It was a battle of wills, and the moment Sonic realized that fact he scooted a bit closer to his friend. By now Sonic well knew the requirements for a blow up between his siblings; and when to duck and cover. This situation was steadily becoming dangerously close to a fighting level and he wanted no part in it. In her own aristocratic way Sonia could be downright frightening when she got pissed; on the other hand nothing was as bone-chilling as a thoroughly enraged Manic. Knuckles, he at least hoped, would be able to shield him from the worst of it should the imminent fight occur.

The echidna however, plainly had no intention of getting in the way of either hedgehog; Sonia frightened him on principle because she could make him regret his existence through virtue of ceaseless screaming and nagging. Not to mention the physical damage she could cause if she put her mind to it. Manic absolutely terrified him due to the subtle threat said thief had conveyed just hours earlier, as well as the knowledge that Manic was fully capable of pulverizing every last bone in his chaos-infused body without breaking a sweat. Not that he had said a word as such to either Sonic or Sonia.

It was a relief to them both that as Manic started to stand so he'd be on equal level with the princess; a taloned hand shot out and seized hold of his arm. All thoughts of an argument dissipated in the split second it took the pierced prince's eyes to focus on the wounded bird that had a grip on him. Dropping back into his seat he scooted closer. "Dude, Qet, you okay? What happened?" Sonia sank back and let her frustration subside for the time being. There would be time enough later; and she'd make sure of it.

Meanwhile dark silver eyes locked on to Manic as the pea-hawk rasped out, "I'm relatively fine, but I've got bad news. The assassin-bitch has Sabbat, and she wants you."

--

Gehmeh grinned almost sadistically over the vid-phone to Robotnik. She felt like gloating, but held herself in check. "Good news Robotnik, I've found Kleptomaniac. Of course considering _his_ talents it isn't a safe thing to go head-to-head with him, so my methods are becoming a little… how should I put it… 'underhanded'?"

"Go on," the human stated, clearly eager to get his hands on said 'demon of the street'.

Motioning back out of his range of sight the reptile's facial expression was decidedly amused. "I happen to have in my hands someone I can use against him; someone that I can use to call him to me. However, anyone in their right mind would _never_ meet him alone- so I'm requesting some back-up."

The human looked thoughtful. "What do you have in mind?"

Her tail flicked in a way that would have been enticing to many if it hadn't been so threatening in nature. "Lord Robotnik, how about you assign a squad of SWATbots to my command? This way he can't kill me, and I'll be all the more likely to bring him to heel for you." No need to let him know that she had no intention of handing the green prince over if her plan succeeded. Of course the unconscious kitten on the floor beside her was insurance enough that he would show up- and that step was at least half way to success.

Robotnik's face split with a nasty blood-chilling grin that very nearly matched the assassin's. "Very well Gehmeh, you'll have your squad. When you _do_ catch Kleptomaniac, I look forward to having him delivered into my hands." In the background Sleet and Dingo shrank away, dangerously close to disappearing into the wall behind them if the laws of physics would allow it.

Gehmeh licked her lips, the fear that one name could generate was swiftly becoming intoxicating. She was looking forward to taking the owner of that name and crushing his free will into dust. "Of course; shall I go pick up my squad, or would you just like to send them here?"

--

At midnight when all was silent, Manic slipped out of his bedroom window wearing his black vest. It hadn't been hard to get the rest of the information Qet had to give when the others were preoccupied, so he knew where he had to go to get the kitten back. He would meet the assassin, and he'd get Sabbat back; there was no question in his mind as to that detail. What he wasn't counting on was the fact that a very much awake echidna had been once again sitting on the roof of the van, and had seen him take off.

Dropping down to the ground, Knuckles wrenched open the van door and stepped inside. "He's on the move," the echidna snapped out, bringing both 'sleeping' hedgehogs into wakefulness. As the siblings began to get ready to depart after their secretive brother, trusting the echidna's nose to lead the way, their preparations to depart were interrupted by a rasping laugh. Three sets of eyes turned to focus on the origin of the sound; the peculiar wounded cross-breed bird that was the thief-prince's friend.

"Goddess, he hasn't bothered explaining anything, has he?" The tone was amused, if pained, and it was almost possible to hear the unuttered laugh within it. Even so the bird's dark silver eyes were deadly serious. Wincing as he sat up the pea-hawk's wings flared for a moment from the pain; he regretted it less than a second later as the bruised and pulled muscles screamed in protest. "You're never going to catch up to him unless you know where he's going, not even you," at the last he gave a pointed look toward Sonic.

"Just what do you mean _I_ won't be able to catch up to him?" The affronted hedgehog's voice was just a few steps away from a growl, but the bird brushed it off in a manner annoyingly similar to Knuckles. _'Maybe Manic _is_ right about Knux and this guy being a lot alike.'_

"I mean," Qet snorted, his tone bordering on patronizing, "that Manic's a hell of a lot faster than you think he is. Also knowing him as well as I do… He's gone to hunt down the psycho-bitch that did this to me." The thief gestured to his wounds to demonstrate his point. "You don't know where he's going, but I do- and considering the fact that _I'm_ messed up from having tangled with that part-chameleon psychopath, your brother might need all the backup he can get. Then again, he might not. He's kind of ragingly pissed off right now; courtesy of the fact that the damn assassin is using my pal Sabbat as bait to lure him out."

"Just him? I thought he said-" Knuckles got cut off by a derisive snort from the battered part-hawk.

"He lied. The psycho's after him, _just_ him, but she's kind of counting on the fact that none of you are going to be able to keep your noses out of it- so she made a deal with one of the peeps that sent her out after him. _If_, just _if_ mind you, she manages to somehow drag all three of you down, the deal she made states that she gets Manic and you," he nodded to the blue hedgehog, "and that particular employer gets you, Princess." At those words a chill ran down the spines of both hedgehogs; which was quickly followed up by a brightly burning fury.

"Who?" Sonic's voice came out in a growl that nearly matched those that Manic could produce at his most enraged.

"Doesn't particularly matter at the moment. Besides, I think you'd like to hear the whole story from your own brother later on; wouldn't you say? It'd be nice to hear the full truth from his lips. Not like I'm going out of my way to sabotage him or anything, but his little charade has gotten a bit out of hand if you ask me."

Sonia eyed the bird for a moment before turning toward the front of the van. "Come up here, I'm going to need you to direct me." Qet wordlessly dragged himself to his feet and followed the princess, regardless of any limping involved in the process. In a way he was glad Manic wasn't there; the emotional maelstrom raging through the van would've given the poor empath a migraine. That and he knew the moment his friend found out what he had just done, he'd be in some serious trouble.

--

Gehmeh waited at the specified destination, the squad of SWATbots surrounding her. Tempting though it had been to kill the bird, she had refrained from doing so on principle of making him her messenger. _'Goddess I love being able to manipulate people.' _A taloned thumb absentmindedly stroked the lion colored kitten's cheek, causing him to flinch and squeeze his eyes shut. He had awoken just scant minutes after her requested squad of robots had arrived, and in that brief time he'd been plunged into a deep well of terror that echoed the hell he'd endured under the noble Kleptomaniac had saved him from.

The mixed breed reptile enjoyed his fear; would, perhaps, have been tempted to increase it and follow through with all sorts of various torments. But no, instead she held it all back in reserve, thinking through what she'd do to the thief-prince in excruciating detail. As frustrating as it was, she could wait. Gehmeh had an assassin's patience after all and the wait would make the torment she would rain down on Manic all the more enjoyable. Speaking of the hedgehog, wasn't he a bit late? Wouldn't he have rushed to the kitten's rescue the moment he had heard of what transpired? He _had_ seen fit to murder a _noble_ to save the child after all, so why hadn't he arrived yet?

It was then that she felt the shift in the air that told her that her prey was nearby. There was no other hint of his presence in the quiet night. _'Clever.' _The reptile couldn't help but have a grudging admiration for his talents. Clearly he was sizing her up, trying to pick out her weaknesses before he ever bothered to show himself. Gehmeh wouldn't give him that luxury. "I _know_ you're out there hedgehog, and if you _don't _show yourself the kid will die. You wouldn't want that would you?" Silence greeted this statement and it irked her. How dare he think, even for a minute, to act as though he didn't care! _'I'll show that smug little prince.'_

Tracing a claw down Sabbat's cheek, Gehmeh chuckled. "Perhaps, _your majesty_, you'd rather just watch what fun I could have with this boy?" Her tone openly mocked his title and made it gut-wrenchingly clear that she knew Manic's secret. In the privacy of the shadows that hid him, the thief-prince mentally cursed himself for a fool for not having thought to scan around when he and Qet had spoken privately only hours earlier. The assassin continued with her taunts. "Has a nice ring to it, 'Prince' Kleptomaniac. I wonder what Mummy-dearest would say if she knew her son was a killer. Oh well, _clearly_ you aren't coming out- so I suppose I'll just have to have fun with the brat." At the last she gave a violent yank on Sabbat's head-fur, causing the boy to yelp.

Risking an outburst in his fear Sabbat screamed out, "Manic! Help me!" Before Gehmeh had enough time to even cuff the feline into silence a green blur darted out of a shadow and straight for her. It was instinct that caused her to throw up her arm to deflect the blow to her head, and a good thing for her that she did so as a dagger had been aimed for her eye; which was soon followed by a kick to her stomach. The initial attack had forced her to release her bait and the kick sent her flying.

Even as she surged back to her feet Gehmeh could tell that this would be one hell of a fight. She could feel her grudging respect for the thief-prince grow; he had done the most tactfully sound thing by striking at the center of her entourage (namely her) and then destroying those parts of the robot squad that dared get close as he strove to protect the kitten. Overwhelming rage flushed her body, which then twisted into a sadistic glee as she caught sight of those hate-filled burning amber-yellow eyes. A near psychotic grin crept onto her face, which was soon followed by an equally insane laugh before she charged back into the melee.

Oh she'd have her fight, she'd face off with him as equally as she would allow herself, and then when the time was right she would bring him down in the most humiliating defeat she could make him suffer. This fight was her chance to have her last bit of fun with him while he still had that brightly burning spark of fury in his heart- before she snuffed it out and made him _hers_. The thought made her laugh all the more as she finally got within range.

--

Sonic impatiently watched the road ahead as Qet directed Sonia on their path. Despite the near break-neck speeds at which his sister was driving, speeds which under normal circumstances she would have heavily frowned upon, it seemed to Sonic as if the van was moving along at a snail's pace. Couldn't they go any faster? Where was Manic going? Where had he gone? The information Qet had given them didn't do anything to ease up the hero's tension. If anything it made it worse. As it stood they now knew that the assassin had been sent _specifically_ after Manic, though Qet wouldn't say why, and that since the assassin had Sabbat in her grasp the thief-prince had gone off to face her. _Alone_.

This of course was no comfort to either sibling. As far as they knew Manic's fighting abilities weren't exactly what one would call awe-inspiring. When Sonia had said as much, the pea-hawk just snorted and said, "Oh how little you know." When asked to explain the bird just brushed the topic aside and went back to directing the princess on their path.

Bouncing his foot with characteristic impatience the blue hedgehog finally growled out, "How far do we have to go?"

"We're almost there, now shut up," Qet snapped back. Turning his attention back to the road he almost let out a squawk. "Right! Turn right or you'll pass it!" Sonia swung the van into an almost sickening turn that would have caused a wreck had the vehicle had wheels rather than hovering above the ground. The crash of various objects being haphazardly thrown around in the van was jarring; the determined princess in control didn't seem to notice. It was a miracle that Sonic managed to stay in his seat at the sudden lurching of the vehicle. It was with the first rumble of sound that the pea-hawk grated out a curse. "Yiffing hell, he's already fighting her."

Neither sibling asked what he meant this time. They both had the distinct feeling that they'd find out soon enough. Sonic only had eyes for the view ahead; he didn't know whether to feel relieved or be overwhelmed by a sinking sense of dread when the first SWATbot came into view. It was when Manic came into sight that Sonia slammed on the break, dangerously close to giving everyone in the van a case of whiplash. The siblings and Guardian could only stare in shock as the expression on Qet's face became grim. "Well hell, this changes things doesn't it?"

--

Burning eyes glared as psychotic laughter rent the air in accompaniment to terrified screams. The SWATbots were under strict orders not to fire on Gehmeh, so they stood aside largely useless because of the close proximity of the two combatants. The reptile tried time and again to lure the hedgehog away from Sabbat; and every single time she tried, she failed. He struck at her, and she dodged back. This fight would have been without any blows had it not been for the fact that Manic had no qualms about punching holes through any nearby SWATbots in place of hitting the assassin.

She had no such luxury. The only one she could have struck at that _wasn't_ the thief-prince was the kid; and Manic was protecting him with everything he had. Somewhere in the back of her mind it bothered Gehmeh that this _prince _could hold her and an entire squad of 'bots at bay without breaking a sweat. That thought was overwhelmed by the surge of adrenaline and the insane joy she was getting from harrying the pretty boy. As long as they kept fighting she could admire the way he moved, the way his yellow eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the street lamps, the way he stubbornly kept the space around him clear with a combination of skill and rage that rolled off of him in waves.

Manic could feel and see what horrid images ran through the assassin's mind; could see the sickening joy at her thoughts of completely dominating him in every way possible. The detailed images combined with the reptile's unhinged glee was enough to make him sick and even more pissed. The key to it was patience, he knew this. The crazed woman was enjoying the fight _too much_ and soon that sickening ecstasy would force her to make a mistake from impatience. Soon she would lose all tolerance for standing at a distance and weaving in and out of his range of attack and just try to charge at or jump on him.

The cold and calculating part of his mind watched her carefully, sizing up her movements and the flickering patterns of color that rippled across her hide in her excitement. _'She's lost all control of her camouflage.' _Ducking as she swung at him, Manic felt the air above him part as she stumbled back. _'She's getting clumsy now.' _As the crocodile-like mobian danced back into range he punched past her into one of the robots, causing her to stagger away from the grazing contact. That was another one down; only three left out of a squad of fifteen. Pathetic.

Fangs bared he watched and calculated as the assassin flitted away. So close, so close to ending it. This was the sort of fight he should have had for Tahl, this was what should have been happening before it was too late for his friend. It reminded him so much of that first hunt, that first kill. It hurt, as his dagger ripped a gash into Gehmeh's arm; it hurt as he hurt her and felt it in his own flesh and blood. Though his body showed no sign of it, he could feel the blood running down her arm as if it were his own.

So close, so near. When she got close enough it would be so easy… Easy to slide the dagger between her ribs. Or beneath her ribcage… It would be easy to gut her or rip her in half. Even easier to seize hold of her and snap her neck- far less messy that way. He could see the breath heaving in her chest, clearly illustrating where her ribs were separated in her fit state. All the easier to slice past them and into her heart. That was the trick to killing, wasn't it? _The fact that it was easy_. His strength helped in that. As long as he didn't think about her pain, focus on it while he was fighting, any pain she caused him would go unnoticed. That was what made him a demon, that was what made him invincible.

Suddenly it clicked; she knew her next move, was already implementing it in fact, and she was counting on the fact that he'd duck to avoid her attack. Yellow eyes hardened in determination and an almost unbreakable hatred. She darted forward, and was surprised as Manic suddenly spun in a whirlwind similar to one of his sister's moves- only with daggers included. Gehmeh screeched to a stop just far enough away that she managed to avoid getting her nose cut off. Blood sprayed through the air from the sudden gash.

Manic grinned cruelly before shoving her away and then punching twin holes through the two SWATbots that had tried to get him in a pincer movement. Rather than rip his hands from the sparking robots he lifted them, and then threw them at the assassin with enough force to cause them to crash through the wall of a warehouse behind her. Only Gehmeh's swift drop had saved her from being decapitated. _'One left, and her.'_

He could feel the sudden realization in her mind as she recognized that she was dangerously close to not getting what she was after. Orange eyes hardened, trying to fight past her ecstasy to concentrate on the green hedgehog. Manic twirled both daggers in his hands so that they faced back along his arms. His stance dropped into one of flat out challenge. He would end her, or she would end him, and that was all there was to it. Even as he paused, his arms at his sides, he grinned though the expression didn't reach his frigidly burning eyes. In the first words he had spoken to her in the entire fight the thief-prince spoke. "Let's finish this, shall we?"

The deliberate taunt was enough to push her in the direction Manic wanted her to go. The rage that rolled off of her completely overwhelmed her joy; there was no space in her mind for any warnings to be cautious. Gehmeh darted toward him, and he spun around behind her. She had forgotten Sabbat, who skittered out of range of the reptile quickly, and didn't care as all her attention was on the hedgehog she wanted to own. He took the chance to take out the final SWATbot before ducking as Gehmeh leapt at him like some kind of bizarre chameleon-raptor. Colliding with the robot damaged it only further, she didn't notice as her last 'ally' went down under her feet.

Spinning with the intention of giving the thief-prince a sizable whack with her tail, Gehmeh was irked to realize that her jump had carried her farther than she had thought it would on the skidding robot. He was out of range, but kneeling and facing her. It gave her the chance to try the move she had attempted when she got the slash across her nose. Blood running down her face and arm the enraged reptile charged at him, letting out a blood-curdling shriek of challenge. At the last second Manic spun so that his back faced her, all quills bristling and ready for the onslaught. She tried to stop, but her momentum carried her forward as the hedgehog lashed out behind him, imbedding both of the three-inch long daggers into her gut.

'_So easy,'_ he thought, barely registering the ghost pain in his own stomach- the feel of non-existent blood pouring from the wounds and lacing down his legs. With the first spatters of blood hitting his quills he shuddered in tandem with the dying reptile. A peculiar 'huck' noise erupted from her throat, wrapped up in surprise that he could have succeeded against her. _'So, so easy.'_ Her hands shakily rested on his shoulders in morbid mockery of an affectionate caress and she tried to heave herself away from him.

Turning his head so that his cold yellow eyes met her shocked orange ones, he didn't need to say a word. Wrenching the daggers upward, they hooked on her ribcage and held. So many emotions and thoughts ran through her head, so many that Manic could feel flowing side-by-side in companionship to his own.

'_How could he do this?'_

'_She shouldn't have done this.'_

'_What is this feeling?'_

'_So much blood- I'm coated in her blood, I feel her blood.'_

'_He's supposed to be a prince! Princes can't be capable of this-'_

'_You're wrong.'_ Gehmeh's eyes widened at the wordless message that just appeared in her mind. It was clear just from looking at those frozen gold fires that he knew what she 'felt', and that he was the source of it.

She coughed out an agonized laugh, trying to pull herself away but unable to. "Y-you really are something. It would've been fun to beat you senseless."

Green ears flicked back in response, though he didn't let her go. _'You failed. You lost due to underestimating me. I'm glad you're dying.'_

'_You feel it, don't you? You feel like you're dying too.'_

A hard to read look entered his eyes as he felt her fading. "There's one difference- I'm not dying."

She laughed that pained laugh again. "I wish that I had known about this little talent of yours earlier. It would've been fun to play with."

Manic suddenly ripped the daggers from her stomach and spun to face her as he stood. Gehmeh staggered back, her skin bleeding from its formerly rich colors to an almost uniform paleness. Cold eyes narrowed as they regarded her. The blood coating his back was dripping and winding its way down his legs- just the same as what he had felt from her only moments earlier. She laughed again, staggering toward him as her stomach bled in a torrent. She cupped his cheek, then wiped away the blood starting to trail down the side of his face. _'You really are a bastard,'_ her mind said.

Manic bared his fangs and slammed a dagger between her ribs, most likely hitting a lung. His mind replied, _'Maybe, but I'm better than you.'_ She just smiled weakly in response before staggering back.

"K-keep telling yourself that… _Prince_ Kleptomaniac," she coughed out, blood beginning to run from her mouth. Manic silently watched as her legs gave out and she collapsed in a heap. He watched, his eyes downcast, as he felt the life flying from her. The thief-prince didn't realize he was shaking as he felt the last of her life snuffed out, and then the subsequent psychotic joy-filled laughter that echoed in his mind as what remained of her said its farewell and left.

Looking up to the sky he shivered. He felt sick. Sabbat was safe, he could feel the cat's relief at being saved again. The death hadn't frightened him, he had seen its like during the first time Manic had come to his rescue. That gave the hedgehog room to give vent to the pain that echoed in his body, pain that wasn't his. Dropping to his knees the green hedgehog wrapped his arms around his stomach and curled in on himself, shuddering as the phantom pain wracked his body. It would fade soon, it always did- and then he heard her voice.

"Manic?" Sonia's voice quaked in what might have been a combination of fear and concern. The thief-prince froze. It felt like all air had been sucked from him and his heart had just disappeared leaving a gaping emptiness in his chest. Words could never express the horror that flooded his being in that moment.

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V n-n I know you want to push that button…


	7. Face The Music

Disclaimer: I don't own Manic, Sonic, Sonia, or Knux, blah blah blah-dy yiffing blah. I do own Qet, Sabbat, the warped little ideas I have about Manic, as well as the playlist on youtube that I've been putting together in connection with this fic. If you're curious, look for CaushogOfFire on youtube and look for the Manic/Kleptomaniac playlist. (Keep in mind that I put everything together based on the music and not the vids.) So yeah, other than that stuff I own nothing.

Author's Note: Well here we are, final chapter, and I've gotta say that this fic has been a blast. But to those of you in the wings that are letting out agonized screams of "NOOOOO!!", never fear. This may be the end of this fic, but it is not the end of this series… trilogy?... thing. I've got another Kleptomaniac fic in the works that will tie up some loose ends _and_ bring in the Chaotix. n.n Might take me a bit though, so you're probably going to have to wait until after summer for that fic to show up. And I have no idea as to a working title for that yet… n.n;;; Sorry if the very end of this kind of sucks (I'm not 100 percent happy with it), but I figured that it was about time that I stopped fighting with it and just let it speak for itself. So yes, onto reviews!

Sammythehedgehog- -laughs- I'm glad you like it. As for the cliffie… -evil grin- Makes the finale all the better I think.

Yami Kaiyoh- Glad I could satisfy your curiosity as to the names. Who knows? I might throw tidbits of my fictional language in here or there in future fics. And yes, I'll be sure to provide translations. -chuckles- Is this also a subtle hint that good authors are hazardous to cooking? That aside, the 'oh spraint!' is a rather accurate description. Even without going into his facial expression I think I managed to get it blatantly obvious. n.n Thanks for proving my judgment right on that scene.

Shelby the Hedgehog- Yup. n.nV Glad you liked the fight with the psycho. Kind of figured that it was about high time I threw some severe blood in.

PuldohFAN!- While I'm grateful for your enthusiasm, ease up on the caps-lock. Otherwise, thanks for the kudos.

Manic the hedeghog- -cackles maniacally- Success! I've actually managed to leave someone speechless… and that is freaking _sweet_. In any case, you wanted to know what was going to happen next, and here it is. n.n Enjoy.

Okami Princess- Agreed on the 'deep spraint'. As for the whole rejection thing… he's kind of got this whole 'but I don't want to be abandoned, I want to be loved' thing going on. Not that I can really blame him. Though you are right about the night terrors and empathy; and the whole 'fearing for his sanity' thing is going to come into play in the next fic if I can manage it. Thanks for letting me know my fanbase is growing (even if it's mostly through reference or people getting curious). It gives me fuzzies. -laughs-

Turtlegirl- n.n Glad that you like; it's always nice to hear that. Don't worry about this being the end of this fic, because as I've said there is another fic in the works. This SonicVerse isn't going to die here, but you'll have to be a bit patient so bear with me.

Alex- Well you asked for it and you got it. Here it is, the next chapter… even if it has been almost a month. Enjoy!

Fira: So here it is, the beginning of the final chapter for this fic. As ever and always C & C is greatly appreciated, so review _por favor_. Other than that enjoy the fic, and I'll try my best to get the first chapter of the next fic up in September. Siji al the'shroia! n.n

--

He didn't react at first as the four spectators drew closer. Knuckles hung back, not wanting to get closer to the hedgehog that now honestly terrified him. Sabbat ran to Qet and hugged him with all the desperation of someone who had nearly died. Manic remained kneeling, frozen in place as he stared ahead sightlessly. Sonic opened his mouth to unleash everything in his mind, but was immediately cut off by Qet. Limping forward the pea-hawk quietly asked, "Manic, you okay?"

Suddenly heated yellow eyes, full of rage and hurt turned to focus on his friend. A snarl, completely devoid of any accent, rumbled from his throat. "You led them here. You _knew_ what she was planning to do if she got her hands on them and _you led them here_. Goddess damn it Qetzenthala! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

The bird snorted in disdain. "Oh pick yourself up already Manic. You're pathetic. Besides, she's dead. I think you saw to that nicely enough. As for what I was thinking by directing them here- I _thought_ you might appreciate the backup if it came to that. Clearly it didn't."

The green hedgehog surged to his feet, trying not to pay any mind to anyone else as he vented his fury at the bird. "That's _not_ what I'm talking about and you know it Qet! You _know_ what my life is like, _so what in the hell were you thinking?!_"

"Don't you think it's time to come clean Manic?"

"You said you didn't want to be my keeper Qet-"

"Yeah, well clearly I have to! _I _don't have any sibs, _you_ do. Honestly, if I let you get away with it you'd probably _never_ tell them until your mind cracked under the strain! You _can't_ keep lying forever Klepto. Hell, if _I_ had siblings I'd want them to know what sort of person their brother was instead of _lying_ to them every single day of my life and slowly killing myself inside because of it! I _know_ you Manic; you _couldn't_ keep lying like that and keep your sanity. _You couldn't_. So excuse me for trying to save you the trouble," the pea-hawk snapped in a rant of his own.

"You don't know what trouble they would've-"

"I know what trouble they would've gotten into without you around Manic. But do they? NO. Why? Because their Chaos-damned brother is being so yiffing stubborn about making sure that they don't know _what_ he's done for their sake. They have no idea how many times you've saved their lives because you won't tell them _anything_. You're more yiffing stubborn than Farrel ever said you were! Hell, I knew that Tahl always said you were stubborn to the point of death, but this is completely ridiculous and out of hand. I think it's high time you _finally_ told the truth… Kleptomaniac."

The last departing comment hit Manic like a blow to the gut. Sonic, Sonia, and Knuckles stared at him in disbelief. The world had been ripped out from under his feet; hurt, disbelief, fear, and an overwhelming sick feeling flashed through his golden amber eyes in seconds. This was it, the end of his world. Stepping back a few paces his grip on his daggers tightened, and then relaxed as his hands became too weak to hold onto the blades. In the silence the clatter of steel on pavement sounded almost as loud as a gunshot. Suddenly he threw his head back and let out scream to the heavens that was laced with anger and agony. "GODDESS DAMN IT ALL!!"

"Manic," Sonic stated only to be cut off by his brother this time.

"Okay, fine. You want to know the truth? FINE!" Manic's vision was quickly becoming obscured by tears as he began ranting. "Your loving, darling, sweet and supposedly _harmless_ brother is a back-stabbing liar and murderer. I'm a killer, I yiffing admit it! I killed the hedgehog that was supposedly working for the resistance, I killed that damn noble that was a _friend _of Bartleby's, _and I don't regret doing it!_"

"Manic, what are you saying?" Sonia looked at him with frightened ruby red eyes, scared of what she was seeing even as the tears cascading down her brother's cheeks were mingling with the blood on his body.

"I'm saying that I killed them. They deserved it. I've never killed anyone that didn't deserve it. The 'resistance member'? I killed him because he raped a woman- I have no idea if she's dead or alive! And he did the same to countless others besides! The 'noble'? I killed him to _save _Sabbat! If _I _hadn't gotten involved and killed that bastard Sabbat would still be with him having screaming nightmares and being _raped and abused_ almost every night! Oh yeah, and that fit I had? Aside from lying about being Kleptomaniac, I forgot to mention- I'm a damned _empath_."

Wide eyes stared at him, and then darted to Sabbat. The cat made no move to discredit what Manic had said about him. If anything he just glanced away while sticking close to Qet's side, quiet as ever. "That fit was no seizure," the thief-prince continued, "that was an attack of empathy. It happens every now and then when my empathy gets out of control. Qetzenthala could more than back me on that. You have no idea what it's like, feeling every emotion and pain from almost everyone. My 'fit' was too much for me to handle. I can deal with five, ten minds at once easily. Over a thousand and I'm in danger of losing my mind- and that's what was happening. To block it all out I had to focus on just one mind and stay focused on it. That time the mind I grabbed on to was Sabbat's, while he was being- I can't even yiffing _say _it!"

The hysteria and fear rolled off of Manic in waves. He made no attempt to hide it or conceal it any more than he did his tears or the blood on his hands. "That's why I screamed. That's why I passed out. Because I was caught up in Sabbat's mind with no grasp on myself and feeling _everything_ that that bastard was doing to him. _EVERYTHING_… as if it was happening to me. It was the same scenario with Tahl. Every night she'd wake up screaming from nightmares about what had been done to her. She wasn't the only one that'd wake up screaming. So would I. Knowing what hell and _exactly_ what sick things monsters like that have done… How can I possibly let them live?"

"Manic… You don't… Goddess." Sonic seemed at a complete loss for words; a first in all the time the triplets had known each other.

The thief let out a harsh bark of laughter, dangerously close to a sob. "I know what you're thinking, what you _want_ to say Sonic. You and Sonia grew up in a world where 'the law' should take care of the monsters, lock them away and that's that. End of story, end of sentence. The world I grew up in? Get rid of the monsters if you know who they are _before_ they can hurt anyone else. Otherwise they'll get loose and hurt someone again. And I've _seen it_."

"…Why didn't you tell us?" It was impossible to judge from Sonia's tone how she felt about her golden-eyed brother. The mull of emotions swirling in her mind didn't give him any better of a hint either.

This time the laugh that erupted from Manic _was_ hysterical. The agonized tone in his voice broke, pulling at his siblings' hearts. "Why? Why? I never told either of you anything because I didn't want to lose it. I didn't want either of you getting killed or hurt because of who I am. I didn't want to lose what little family I've actually got left. I've been sure as hell that if you two knew any of this that you'd never trust me." His breathing hitched; a shudder ripped through his body as the first unvoiced sob forced its way out. Blood trailed down the side of his face to his chin, dripping to the ground with his tears.

"Both of you were so damn lucky and neither of you got cursed with _my_ damned 'talent' of empathy; you could never understand that I'd kill someone, or why. So because of this… Because of this I'm going to lose everything. I'm no hero. I'm no noble. I'm a _chaos-damned, back-stabbing, conniving, manipulative thief, liar, and killer_! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL EITHER OF YOU WOULD WANT THAT AS YOUR BROTHER!!" The scream wrenched itself from his throat before he could stop himself. In a way he looked almost as shocked by it as they did.

Shaking his head, the tears unstoppable as they cascaded down, Manic backed away. "You wouldn't… And neither would Mom. I'm no prince- I never will be. I'm just a…" Whatever he would have said was cut off from the constricting of his throat and tears. For the first time he finally just let his emotions speak for him… directly into their minds and plainly clear that it came from him and him alone. _'I'm a failure-' 'I screwed up' 'It's over' 'no more' 'dead-' 'alone-' 'abandoned-' 'hate me-' 'Forget me.' 'love me' '-no chance-' 'it's all lost' 'I feel sick-' 'lost' 'dead' 'kill' 'alone' 'nothing left to me' 'I'm sorry.'_ There were no words, just the feelings and images they conjured up.

Kleptomaniac… Manic… thief and murderer, prince and pauper, could see and feel the way his agony affected the others. Turning away from them he took a step, then another. Before he knew it he was running with their voices calling out after him. The only thought that entered into his emotionally broken mind was that he had to get _away_. He didn't know where, he had no destination in mind, he just had to be… gone. He wasn't fit to be around either Sonic or Sonia, he didn't deserve that happiness, and they couldn't want him after they had found out the truth. They couldn't. Manic pushed himself, running so fast he broke the sound barrier and just kept going.

No one could catch him at that speed as he ran, blood and tears flying in the wind behind him. No one could keep up, except one person. It was a shock to the thief-prince when he was jerked to a stop by his brother. Hurt and empty golden yellow eyes met with the grim and hardened green gaze in disbelief. Why would Sonic try? Why? Manic reeled from the punch across his face delivered by the hero; though in retrospect he would come to believe he should have expected it. What threw him completely off was the rib-crushing hug that followed the hit.

Manic didn't have even a second to question the other's actions before Sonic spoke. "Manic, you're such an idiot," Sonic's voice shook as strongly as his body. "You _idiot_. You think- _you honestly think I would abandon my BROTHER_?! What kind of stupid are you?"

"S-Sonic?"

Holding him out at arm's-length Sonic looked grim, worried, and angry. "I would _never_ leave you behind you _idiot._ Just because I don't agree with you on everything doesn't mean you had any right to lie to me- _or Sonia_. And it sure as hell doesn't mean we'd never want to see you again. You confuse the hell out of me Manic. I don't even yiffing _know_ you-" Manic flinched at that. "…but I want to."

Sonic's brother stared at him like he grew another head. "Now come on. We're going back. We're sorting this out; and you _will_ help us figure you out or… or…" He searched for a suitable threat for the situation. Manic just felt sick. Finally Sonic came up with the perfect threat, one that would be serious enough- but would convey the fact that he cared flawlessly. "…or I'm going to completely total your drums and throw them in a river."

"…You're crazy."

Sonic was glad to note that Manic didn't even bother trying to throw in the accent. Wiping his brother's tears from his bruised cheek, the blue hedgehog smirked. "So I'm crazy. C'mon, if we don't get back soon Sonia's gonna kill us both."

"You hit me."

"Punched you actually. I'd expect you to know the difference. Especially after seeing the way you handled that psycho. Anyway, you deserved it for being an ass for so long."

--

When the two of them returned Manic was understandably reluctant. Wordlessly he picked up his bloody daggers from where he had dropped them, and then turned to the van. "Time to face the music," he muttered under his breath. Sonic gave a snort that all too easily translated to 'no duh'. The green hedgehog just shook his head and strode forward. In the back of his mind he noticed that the assassin's body was gone and everything was quiet.

His ears flicking back, Sonic behind him, Manic pulled open the van door and was immediately met with enraged ruby red eyes. Qet waved weakly in the background; clearly he'd just been undergoing Sonia's infamous 'interrogation'. He didn't know whether to feel sorry for his friend or satisfied that he'd got his just rewards for dropping the bomb of who the thief was in his siblings' laps.

Sonia glared with unremitting fury, and the moment she thought it Manic dropped to avoid getting hit again. That turned out to be a fortunate thing; he could have almost sworn that he heard the air above his head whistle with the force of her movement. Before she could start screaming at him, he looked up and said just two words- putting everything he had into those small simple sounds. "I'm sorry."

Red eyes narrowed. "You lied. You told us what you are. You _know_ what I think of that fact. It's bad enough that you are the way you are- _but you lied about it_."

Manic flinched and glanced away. It wasn't lost on him how vulnerable he was in that moment; practically kneeling in front of her as he was. Were she as demented as some people he had known in his life Sonia would have very likely kicked him in the face. He wouldn't have blamed her for it. "I wanted to protect you both," he murmured, not daring to meet her eyes and keeping his body language apologetic.

"From what?!," her tone was a borderline shriek, causing the thief to flinch again. Yellow eyes slowly turned upward pleadingly, his fear that he'd yet be turned out from his family lurking in the shadows of his mind.

"From people like that assassin… from people that want to kill _me_. I…," he paused as a shiver rippled through his body in response to the intense scrutiny of his siblings. "…I didn't want either of you hurt… because of me. I thought it was safer if the two of you just _didn't_ know. Then no one could ever connect you to me, and… No one would ever try to hurt you to get at me if they never figured out that your brother was Kleptomaniac. No one would ever do what that- _thing_ that dared call herself a person, _wanted_ to do to the three of us. No one would make the connection or dare chance the thought as a result. If I could fool both of you… I could fool them and make monsters like that think I didn't care about anyone. No one else would be a target."

Silence reigned for several moments before Sonic's gloved hand dropped to Manic's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. Manic gave a slightly nervous gulp even as he felt a wave of thankfulness swirl through his own mind at the contact. Sonia stared at him long and hard before she let out a barely controlled sigh and turned away to stalk further into the van. It wasn't much by way of accepting his apology, but for the time being it was enough.

He silently stood and stepped into the van with Sonic in tow, gold eyes sweeping over the eerily quiet interior. Qet sat on the couch he'd been parked on, carefully cradling his right arm to ease the ache; Sabbat quietly curled up beside him in a light doze. A silver-eyed blink and a nod was the bird's silent apology, one that Manic accepted- too exhausted emotionally to maintain his earlier anger. Off closer to the driver's seat was Knuckles; thoroughly lost in thought if the look in his violet eyes was anything to judge by. Sonic watched in curiosity as the green-furred prince walked over to the Guardian, startling him out of his reverie as he did so.

The echidna met Manic's eyes warily; uncomfortable with the prince he had thought he'd known. "Manic," he greeted cautiously. His pride kept him there even as his mind screamed at him to put more space between the two of them.

Manic dropped into the seat across from him and spoke; his façade completely down as well as many of his defenses. "I'm sorry. For lying to you, for threatening you… everything."

It took a moment for Knuckles to process what he'd heard, but when it clicked he felt a vague sense of relief. "You're like your brother… more trouble than you're worth." The thief-prince blinked in stunned surprise, and then darted a glare at Qetzenthala as the pea-hawk began to snicker.

"Dude, Qet, shut up."

The bird just laughed harder, "Finally! Someone who agrees with me!"

"Shut up or you're going to wake up Sabbat."

"Oh the kid's fine. He can sleep through- ow!" The bird let out a yelp as a clawed hand took a swipe at his wing.

One blue feline eye was open and focused on the bird, the irritated look so typical of his kind plastered on his features as Sabbat sleepily growled, "Shut up an' let me sleep." With that said the blue eye slid closed again and the kitten went back to sleep. Manic started chuckling.

Knuckles shook his head, in some ways the three had just reminded him of his own peculiar group of friends on the Floating Island. With an amused smirk the Guardian stated, "Apology accepted my friend; just don't pull a stunt like this again."

"He tries it and I'm throttling him," Sonic growled teasingly.

"Whatever. I'm getting a shower. Don't kill each other while I'm in there." Manic's departing comment was met with rolling eyes. At least it felt like he stood a chance of keeping his family and not scaring off his friend. That was more than the thief-prince had felt like he had any right in hoping for.

II

II

II

II Do I even need to say it?

II Review…

V You know you want to. n.n


	8. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody of the SU-verse… Just my own bizarre characters, this warped little fic, and my weird interpretation of Manic

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody of the SU-verse… Just my own bizarre characters, this warped little fic, and my weird interpretation of Manic. So yeah… don't kill me.

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. _This_ is the last chapter of this fic. I was debating about whether or not to add this epilogue, but for the sake of the next story in this (series?) it needed to be included. Yeah, I'm already working on it, so go me! Just as with the last chapter I'm kind of iffy about the end, but it's got stuff in here that will make things a bit clearer in the next fic. Plus the fact that there are a couple of small things that I found so amusing that I couldn't just leave them buried to be ignored. I'm sure you'll see what I mean when you get there. So before I send you on to read the _actual_ finale of this fic, onto the (3) reviews!

Incomplete 13- Glad you think so, and I'm looking forward to your comments whenever I start putting the next one up.

Shelby the Hedgehog- That's a very good point… I'm not sure if Manic would want her to know though. Of course that's assuming that Sonic and Sonia wouldn't out him to her. To say the least he'd probably be pissed if they told her. As for her reaction… I honestly haven't really thought that through. You never know, that train of thought might spark a plot-bunny. Anyway, I'm kind of thinking that _if_ Robotnik found out it'd be quickly followed by his death. Not that Manic would want to touch that I think.

Manic: -shuddering in a corner- Ewww… Blubber… fat… horrid mental images… X.X

Fira: …Yeah… He's being a touch melodramatic at the moment, you'll have to excuse him.

ManicFanFicHunter- -shrugs- Sorry? At least I decided to actually throw this tidbit in before my internet access gets restricted for the summer. I thought that the threat fit; I'm glad I was right. As for the length of the wait, don't worry. I don't intend to wait a _year_ to get anything up. A couple of months, maybe in September?- no problem. A year? I'd have to take a fork to my eyes for being so lazy. So yes, you can count on something (hopefully) being up in September. October at the latest.

Fira: Now that that's out of the way; read on, enjoy, C&C is always appreciated, and as ever and always- review! n.n

Manic: …Or we'll find you. u.u; …Sorry, too much TV. -mutters- Damn Stride gum commercials…

--

The next morning brought with it a feeling of peace and uneasiness all-in-one. The first one up was Manic, so when the others awoke it was to the scent of breakfast being made. Sonic came out of his room to see his brother laboring over the stove, every inch of his body loudly proclaiming his tense mood. In some ways the scene was so normal that it seemed disconnected from reality. Twitching an ear in Sonic's direction Manic spoke without even looking toward the other hedgehog. "Breakfast'll be done in a few. I've just got a couple more things to do…"

Sonic seated himself at the 'kitchen' table and cocked his head. It was weird on a previously unknown level to know that Manic's voice, without the accent, was how he actually sounded. There were so many things that were different; Manic's body language was one good example. After a few moments of silence Sonic finally asked, "So… who _was_ the one who sent the assassin after you? Aside from Robotnik I mean." Manic froze and his quills bristled in an uncharacteristic show of tension.

Yellow eyes slowly turned to regard the almost nonchalant blue hedgehog, then stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, sure, act like you're only commenting on the weather," the thief-prince muttered. Sonic raised an eyebrow. "…You know that I can read every damn emotion and image going through your head, right?"

"Then what am I thinking right now?"

"I'm not a tele-… that's just bent. Don't tell me you fantasize about that on a regular basis." The slightly disgusted tone was enough to tell Sonic that his thought had indeed gotten through. The blue hedgehog could only snicker; knowing that Manic was an empath opened up whole new venues of picking on his brother. "You jerk," the thief grumbled before turning back to the stove.

"So, are you going to tell me who it was?"

Manic gave a derisive snort. "After practically announcing your interests in my head like that? Hell no. There are just some things a guy does not want to think about when it comes to his sibs you know."

"If you're going to lie again…"

Manic gripped the handle of the pan perhaps a bit harder than was necessary, leaving dents in the metal in the process. Realizing what he had done he let out a snarl, "Spraint." Before Sonic could even pursue his line of inquiry Manic growled out, "I'm not going to lie- I just don't want Sonia to overhear."

Both of Sonic's eyebrows shot up. "I never took you to be the chivalrous type bro."

"Chivalry nothing," Manic snapped as he whipped around to meet Sonic's inquisitive green gaze. "The only reason I don't want her hearing is because I don't think she'd believe me." Silently he sent over the image of Bartleby, hoping Sonic would understand what he meant by the image of the noble.

Green eyes went wide and Sonic's voice was little more than a whisper when he spoke. "Him?"

"Yeah, _him_. Now do you see why I don't want to tell her?"

"…She's gonna throw a fit."

"I'd say have a litter of kittens, but same dif."

--

By the time everyone else had gotten up and was served breakfast Sonic was brooding in a corner and Manic was doing his best to avoid the subject of who had hired Gehmeh in the first place. Sonia remained a little cold and distant from her empathic brother; he was quite content with the fact that she wasn't screaming and threatening him with bodily harm. The fact that he'd decided to stick to his true voice was a mixed blessing; on one hand it was a firm reminder of the fact that he had lied, but on the other it made it clear that he didn't want to outright deceive any of them again.

The occasional queries sent to his mind by Sabbat did nothing to ease his anxiety. The young feline was all too aware that something was off between the siblings, but he had no idea as to what the problem truly was. In Sabbat's mind Manic had lied, but he'd made up for it by coming clean, so therefore he should have been forgiven for it already. Manic almost envied Sabbat his clean-cut view of the world despite the hell he'd been through. It would have been much easier to face the scrutiny of the others if they would just forgive him for his mistake and let it go.

Finally the thief-prince dropped into a seat and let out an exasperated sigh. Before any could ask he grumbled, "Alright Sonia, you're pissed at me, it's as plain to see as daylight. Now before you consider throttling me, would you at least _ask_ me whatever it is that's buzzing around your mind?" Qet let forth a brief snort of laughter, copping a golden-eyed glare from the hedgehog it had been directed at. The pea-hawk smirked and went back to his breakfast without a word.

Intense red eyes glowered at him for several long moments before the princess decided her brother wouldn't leave without an answer. "You lied."

"We know that already. I apologized."

"You killed her."

"I don't think I exactly had a choice sis. It was either kill her or let her kill Sabbat and… I'm not going to even go into what she wanted to do me; but it wasn't good."

"_Don't you feel anything about doing that?!_" Manic wasn't the only one to wince at her high pitch.

His temper flared and he tried to push it down as his grip on his chair tightened. "Sonia… You have no idea." A shadow flickered through those golden eyes, "I felt more than most. Every pain… the daggers hooking on the insides of her ribs… the blood pumping out of her veins… I felt every second like it was happening to _me._"

"Then why?" The rage in Sonia's voice was slowly fading, to drop to a tearful coldness. "Why would you cause someone that sort of pain?"

"If I hadn't killed her, then she would have gone after you and Sonic. That was something I couldn't let happen."

"Manic… how can you know that? How can you be sure? Don't you even doubt yourself in the slightest? Don't you even realize that what you did could be wrong?"

Manic's quills bristled however minutely. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. It was time to make Sonia realize the truth about his mind. "Sonia, you know how when you throw a rock in a pond it creates ripples?" Her look was dubious, but he plowed onward. "Thing is, those ripples find things they bounce off of, which creates more ripples. Then those ripples meet the first set of ripples, which creates even more ripples. And on and on until there are thousands of ripples going every direction, every last one in constant moving contact with all of the others. For me, with my empathy, that's what it's like. I'm just one ripple in a giant pond, but I can feel all of the others almost constantly. One person is in debilitating pain, and I'll feel it like I'm right _inside_ that person. Another person is laughing and is the happiest they've ever been, and I get the same feeling. Someone like Tahl, or Sabbat suffers… and I'm in there, in their heads riding out that hell with them. Like it's happening to me. Someone like the hedgehog I killed, or that lynx, I see what they think about, what they dream about, the sick joy they get from causing pain and suffering- _and I feel it like it's my own._"

He had the full attention of his siblings and the Guardian. The disbelief and shock, the slowly dawning realization of what every day had to be like in his head was plain to see on their faces. "I don't doubt that what I did about the assassin was right, because I knew what she was planning to do to me. I know what she was planning to do to Sonic. I know what she would have done to Sabbat if I hadn't shown up. I know, all due to the fact that _she was thinking about all of it._ I know because she might as well have been shouting everything in excruciating detail into my head."

Sonia was torn between being repulsed by what her brother had done, what she'd seen him do to the assassin, and the despair of being unable to protect him from the continuous mental assault he likely suffered every day. Her concern showed on her face while her repulsion kept her from pulling him into a hug. When Sonia finally spoke it was in a near whisper. "Is it like that every day? Always 'hearing' people?" Manic nodded. "How can you stay sane like that?"

Manic gave the barest hint of a chuckle. "I've been like this since day one sis. I _had_ to learn how to cope with it and tune people out or I never would've survived. Kinda helped that Farrel knew what he was doing when he was raising me."

Ruby red eyes widened as the full reality of it all crashed over Sonia. "So he knew? And Qet knows? And Tahl knew? And…"

Qet chose that moment to speak up, the unuttered laughter evident in his tone. "Princess, with all due respect there's no way we _couldn't_ know. Klepto's a bit too mentally powerful for his own good; so it was pretty obvious when his emotions were jumping around randomly to match what other people were feeling."

"So you were…" Sonia trailed off, unsure how to get across what she was thinking.

"Emotionally unstable as a kid? Hell yes. I grew out of it, but to quote Farrel I was 'hell in a hand-basket that got brought to him by an idiot rat'. Not that it was an insult or anything."

"-But he was right," Qet grinned, earning a not-so-serious glare from the green hedgehog.

Sonia shook her head, disoriented, but beginning to get a good grasp on Manic as he was. Her eyes met his, an ambiguous mixture of love, confusion, fear, frustration, and joy in those ruby depths. "I can't say I forgive you for killing people Manic. I can't. I may not understand it, I may not have a good grasp on what you experience, but with everything _I _know to be right… I can not accept any reason to kill as right Manic." The thief sighed and let his eyes become downcast, ready to admit defeat at having any chance of having a real family. "But," Sonia continued, startling him out of his spiraling thoughts, "I know you're also doing what you think is right, based on what you feel. Based on others' pain. Right?"

Manic nodded as hope kindled anew. If Sonia could accept him as he was… maybe their mother could too, when the time came for it. Sonia was, after all, as true an aristocrat as their mother. She was Manic's key to believing he had a chance at _having_ a life when all was said and done.

"Then I won't stop you. I don't approve of it, but I know you're just trying to save people. Like Sabbat. Like Tahl. And…," Sonia hesitated, making both of her brothers nervous in the brief silence, "I know that you've… always… wanted to do what you think is best for both Sonic and I. I know you just want to keep us safe and… Thank you."

Manic let out a breath he hadn't known that he'd been holding, then blinked as he felt the familiar prickling sensation at the corners of his eyes. It wasn't the blown out of proportion form of acceptance that he'd been half-way expecting; but it was enough.

"Klepto, pull yourself together. You're an embarrassment; bawling over getting what you wanted like that. Goddess above! Can't satisfy you for a damn second, can we?" Qet mocked the moment he spotted the beginning tears.

"Shut up feather-head," the thief-prince retorted as his siblings hugged him. No, it wasn't perfect and it wasn't heaven-on-Mobius, but it was enough for Manic to know that he finally had what he'd been hoping for all along. It was enough to know that as bizarre and unusual to them as he was, his family would accept him entirely. He felt as he hadn't since the day Farrel had been roboticized. Manic felt like he had finally come home.

--

II

II Well we've come to the end,

II It's so sad,

II There's one thing you can do my friend,

II And it isn't so bad,

V Review, and the caushog will be glad.


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